Recaps

Xu Taiping resisted a strange voice behind a sealed door in the Dragon-Trapping Tower and spent three days planning his cultivation for the Golden Scale Assembly. After Fairy Lingyue woke, he explained how the Spirit Bone Stele had reworked his techniques, including the Great Sage Fist.

• A voice behind a tower door begged Xu Taiping to open it, but his Jade Bone Grass bracelet warned him off; when he shouted, the creature fell silent.
• Xu Taiping returned to the first floor, released Bai Yu and Ping'an, and resolved to use the next six or seven years to prepare for the Golden Scale Assembly.
• Xu Taiping assessed his goal of reaching half-step Spirit Refining and mastering the Great Sage Fist and Demon-Slaying Blade, while acknowledging the assembly’s formidable young competitors.
• Three days later, Xu Taiping told the newly awakened Fairy Lingyue how the Spirit Bone Stele had refined the Great Sage Fist and described its three ultimate moves.

Xu Taiping told Fairy Lingyue about the Spirit Bone Stele’s Great Sage Fist, Demon-Slaying Blade, and Hidden Sword Art, and she assessed their power and origins. She advised him to master the newly derived techniques and revealed that the completed Taiqing Profound Origin Clone Technique could let his clone cultivate in his stead.

• Xu Taiping described the Demon-Slaying Blade’s three ultimate moves and its perilous No-Self True Intent to Fairy Lingyue.
• Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping not to treat the Blade Manual’s warning as absolute, though he remained wary of using the move.
• Fairy Lingyue said Lü Sword Nine’s Hidden Sword Art was already close to Immortal Rank and asked Xu Taiping to arrange a conversation with his master after they returned to True Martial Heaven.
• Fairy Lingyue guided Xu Taiping through the Great Sage Fist and Demon-Slaying Blade, then urged him to practice the Taiqing Profound Origin Clone Technique and Great Sun Golden Flame Art.
• Fairy Lingyue revealed that the completed Taiqing Profound Origin Clone Technique allowed Xu Taiping’s clone to cultivate in his stead, astonishing him.

Fairy Lingyue explained the Taiqing Profound Origin Clone Technique and warned Xu Taiping never to let a life-bound clone touch his origin qi. She advised him on which techniques to cultivate, and Xu Taiping realized the Dhyana Seal could help him master them before asking about strange noises in the tower.

• Fairy Lingyue explained that the Taiqing Profound Origin Clone Technique used profound and primal qi to create a life-bound clone, and warned Xu Taiping that including origin qi could cause one of two identical beings to die.
• Fairy Lingyue advised Xu Taiping to prioritize cultivating one life-bound clone and warned him to absorb any origin qi that arose after he reached the Spirit Refining Realm into a Life-Bound Immortal Weapon.
• Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping that he could safely cultivate the Great Sun Golden Flame Art and encouraged him to master several other techniques during his seclusion.
• Xu Taiping remembered the nine-bead Dhyana Seal Venerable Jiaye had given him, and Fairy Lingyue said it could make mastering the techniques within six or seven years possible.
• Xu Taiping asked Fairy Lingyue what had caused the strange noises in the Geng Character Room on the tower's second floor.

Xu Taiping learned more about the Dragon-Trapping Tower and heard Fairy Lingyue’s cultivation instructions before she fell asleep again. After six and a half years of cultivation inside the tower, the Qi Household waited for its gate to open.

• Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping that the noises inside the Dragon-Trapping Tower were harmless as long as its door stayed shut, and said Lin Buyu might be in Youyun Heaven.
• Fairy Lingyue taught Bai Yu and Ping'an methods to cultivate toward the Demon Venerable Realm and warned Xu Taiping not to underestimate the Golden Scale Assembly’s competitors.
• After Fairy Lingyue fell asleep, Xu Taiping used the Dhyana Seal to sharpen his mind and began practicing techniques derived from the Spirit Bone Stele.
• Six and a half years passed as vines and moss covered the Dragon-Trapping Tower, while Xu Taiping continued cultivating inside.
• The Ancestor of the Qi Household predicted that the tower gate would open within days, and he waited angrily for Xu Taiping.

Inside the Dragon-Trapping Tower, Bai Yu used his developing Heavenly Eye Ability to observe the Qi Household gathering outside and discovered a demon monk among them. His warning to Ping'an was interrupted when Xu Taiping unleashed a tremendous wave of Blade Qi, apparently bringing his Demon-Slaying Blade techniques to Great Completion.

• Bai Yu tried to steal Grass Return Pills, but Ping'an accidentally pinned him beneath his hand before they argued about taking the pills.
• Bai Yu used his first-stage Heavenly Eye Ability to observe the tower entrance while Ping'an discussed his slow progress in Mind-Heart Communication.
• Bai Yu noticed that the Qi Household had gathered more powerful guards because the Dragon-Trapping Tower was losing its power.
• Bai Yu spotted a white-robed demon monk beside the Ancestor of the Qi Household, then suffered a backlash when their gazes met.
• Before Bai Yu could warn Xu Taiping, a Blade Cry and surging Blade Qi erupted from the second floor, and Bai Yu realized Xu Taiping had likely brought his Demon-Slaying Blade techniques to Great Completion.

Xu Taiping completed his Demon-Slaying Blade training and revealed his Mysterious Origin Life-Bound Clone to Ping'an and Bai Yu. With the Dragon-Trapping Tower set to open in three days and the Qi Household and Fire Cloud Temple waiting outside, he prepared to leave and revealed that Fairy Lingyue had awakened.

• Xu Taiping's Mysterious Origin Life-Bound Clone released blade intent, and he explained its cultivation benefits and the danger of risking it in battle.
• Xu Taiping said the Dragon-Trapping Tower's gate would open in three days and it would then fall dormant for at least a month.
• Bai Yu reported that the Qi Household had gathered forces outside the tower and that a Demon Monk from Fire Cloud Temple was also watching.
• Xu Taiping warned that the enemies had likely prepared formations and traps, making a direct escape dangerous.
• Xu Taiping told Ping'an and Bai Yu that Fairy Lingyue had awakened half a month earlier and was expected to send them a voice transmission.

As Xu Taiping prepared to leave the tower, he and his companions discussed their plans and Fairy Lingyue awakened after sleeping for three years. She warned them that the Qi Household and Fire Cloud Temple had set a costly Copper Sparrow Formation outside to trap them.

• Xu Taiping said he would fight his way out if Fairy Lingyue could not help, then collected Ping'an's finished Bone-Regenerating Pills.
• Bai Yu praised Ping'an's progress in the Ape Demon Art, while Ping'an worried that he had not mastered the ninth layer or advanced in Mind-Heart Communication.
• Bai Yu suggested going to Southern Chu's Imperial Capital to seek ingredients for Transformation Pills, but Ping'an warned it was too dangerous for Xu Taiping.
• Fairy Lingyue contacted Xu Taiping, Bai Yu, and Ping'an through the Azure Gourd and confirmed that they should avoid the Imperial Capital.
• Fairy Lingyue revealed that the Qi Household and demon monks from Fire Cloud Temple had prepared a Copper Sparrow Formation outside the tower, prompting Xu Taiping to ask how it could be broken.

Fairy Lingyue explained how Xu Taiping could collapse the Copper Sparrow Formation and warned him about the powerful enemies awaiting him outside Dusk Rain Forest. Xu Taiping prepared to break out quickly, while Lingyue suggested that Yingui Pavilion’s limited forces near Western Liang might offer a place to take shelter.

• Fairy Lingyue explained that the Copper Sparrow Formation’s 108 pillars had to be severed in resonating pairs, and that Bai Yu’s Heavenly Eye Ability could identify too few pairs to break it that way.
• Xu Taiping suggested using the Azure Luan Ring to destroy every pillar at once, but Fairy Lingyue said the formation was too sturdy and advised him to kill the disciple carrying a Formation Nodes Treasure before the formation stabilized.
• Fairy Lingyue warned Xu Taiping to quickly ambush the Ancestor of the Qi Household and Demon Monk Zhenwu after breaking the formation, and Xu Taiping resolved to use his full strength.
• Fairy Lingyue revealed that Yingui Pavilion had also stationed demon cultivators around Dusk Rain Forest’s exits, though only one Demon Venerable Realm cultivator guarded the exit near Western Liang.
• Xu Taiping asked whether they should take shelter in the Western Liang Kingdom after escaping Dusk Rain Forest.

Xu Taiping chose to travel to Western Liang and prepared to face his final killing tribulation after Fairy Lingyue identified its signs as an earth-killing tribulation. Two days later, the Dragon-Trapping Tower began shrinking ahead of the Qi Household’s expected schedule, signaling that its gate was about to open.

• Xu Taiping chose Western Liang over Southern Chu and planned to visit Cloud-Hidden Temple to see Xuanzhi and ask about Xiaoyu.
• Xu Taiping told Fairy Lingyue that his Lotus Eye had shown an image, a strange fragrance, and a stranger’s voice; she said the signs pointed to an earth-killing tribulation.
• Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue agreed to face the tribulation, and Bai Yu promised to watch for Gold Essence Coins so Xu Taiping could use his Lotus Eye safely.
• Xu Taiping discussed their escape plans with Fairy Lingyue, Bai Yu, and Ping'an, then changed his appearance as the tower gate neared opening.
• The Ancestor of the Qi Household rejected activating the Copper Sparrow Formation early, but the Coiling Dragon Tower began shrinking before the Head of the Qi Household finished speaking.

The Qi Household ambushed Xu Taiping as the Dragon-Trapping Tower opened, but he unleashed his blade and struck the Ancestor of the Qi Household with the Great Sage Fist. The Ancestor was sent flying, while Xu Taiping’s full strength remained unrevealed.

• The Ancestor of the Qi Household ordered the Qi Household to block the exits and activate the Copper Sparrow Formation as the Dragon-Trapping Tower opened.
• Xu Taiping emerged from the tower, which shrank and flew into his sleeve, reopening the passage through Butterfly Valley.
• Qi Household disciples attacked Xu Taiping from both sides, and his blade technique left over a hundred afterimages that cut down or drove back the attackers.
• Xu Taiping used his Concealment Cloak to approach the Ancestor of the Qi Household while Qi Changqing watched the attack in shock.
• The Ancestor of the Qi Household countered Xu Taiping’s fist with the Heavenly Gang True Thunder Hand, but Xu Taiping’s Baxia shattered the palm force and blasted him backward.

Xu Taiping escaped the Copper Sparrow Formation by destroying a formation node, then faced the Qi Household’s ambush in Butterfly Valley. He sent the Ancestor of the Qi Household flying again, as the battle continued.

• The Ancestor of the Qi Household activated the Copper Sparrow Formation and trapped Xu Taiping in a cage of golden light.
• Bai Yu located a formation-node treasure on a Qi Household disciple, and Xu Taiping told Bai Yu and Ping'an to gather Gold Essence Coins while he escaped.
• Xu Taiping used the Azure Luan Ring’s One-Finger, Cloud-Piercing to kill two Qi Household disciples and destroy the formation node, breaking the Copper Sparrow Formation.
• Qi Changqing ordered the ambushed Qi Household disciples to attack Xu Taiping in squads of seven and offered rewards for capturing him.
• Xu Taiping shattered the Ancestor of the Qi Household’s palm strike with one punch and sent him flying backward.

Xu Taiping and his spirit pets fought the Qi Household in Butterfly Valley, and he used the Baxia Form at the ultimate realm to overpower the ancestor. As Xu Taiping moved to kill him, Demon Monk Zhenwu ambushed him, but Xu Taiping’s clone drew the Water-Cutting Blade to counterattack.

• Xu Taiping struck the Ancestor of the Qi Household, while Bai Yu and Ping'an attacked the Qi Household disciples.
• The ancestor used a jade pendant to restore his Spirit Refining Realm cultivation and briefly suppressed Xu Taiping.
• Xu Taiping gathered the heavens’ force and used the Baxia Form at the ultimate realm to shatter the ancestor’s defense and smash him into the mountain wall.
• Xu Taiping pursued the injured ancestor, who called for Zhenwu to attack from behind.
• Demon Monk Zhenwu manifested his Mad Demon Dharma Aspect, but Xu Taiping’s clone appeared and unleashed the Demon-Slaying Blade with the Water-Cutting Blade.

Xu Taiping overwhelmed the Ancestor of the Qi Household and confronted Demon Monk Zhenwu, whose black lotus threatened to trigger Dusk Rain Forest’s restrictions. He unleashed the Great Sun Golden Flame to break Zhenwu’s defense, burning Zhenwu’s arm as the clash continued.

• Xu Taiping split Demon Monk Zhenwu’s Mad Demon True Body with a blade strike and battered the Ancestor of the Qi Household with Baxia Form and Raging Thunder.
• The Ancestor of the Qi Household tried to sacrifice his Life-Bound Item, but Xu Taiping’s repeated punches kept him from doing so.
• Demon Monk Zhenwu formed a black lotus from his true demon essence, triggering Dusk Rain Forest’s restrictions, and claimed Xu Taiping could not cut through his defense.
• Xu Taiping covered his Demon-Slaying Blade with Great Sun Golden Flame and struck Zhenwu, shattering his black swastika defense.
• Zhenwu caught Xu Taiping’s blade with the Flower-Picking Finger, but the Great Sun Golden Flame burned his arm to charcoal.

Xu Taiping defeated Demon Monk Zhenwu in battle but failed to destroy the black lotus, which released a powerful Spider Demon. As Xu Taiping tried to escape, his left eye opened against his will and swallowed the Gold Essence Coins, interrupting his movement technique with Zhenwu closing in.

• The Ancestor of the Qi Household escaped inside a scroll after Xu Taiping shattered his Life-Bound Item.
• Xu Taiping struck Demon Monk Zhenwu with the Baxia Form, blasting apart half his body but leaving the black lotus intact.
• Xu Taiping called Bai Yu and Ping'an back and received the Gold Essence Coins recovered from the Qi Household.
• The black lotus fully bloomed, releasing a Spider Demon that merged with Zhenwu and fought against Dusk Rain Forest's suppressive rain.
• Xu Taiping began using Endless Horizon to escape, but his left eye opened and swallowed the Gold Essence Coins, stopping the technique as Zhenwu approached.

Xu Taiping’s Lotus Eye devoured much of Demon Monk Zhenwu before Zhenwu engulfed him in black fog and sent him to Tianhai Town. There, Xu Taiping learned that a brother and sister were fleeing a sea-born demonic beast while carrying a wounded Sea-Calming Tower officer.

• Demon Monk Zhenwu fled after seeing Xu Taiping’s Lotus Eye, but the eye bloomed and devoured most of his body.
• Zhenwu turned himself into black fog, carried Xu Taiping away, and left his blood-jade Life-Bound Item behind.
• Xu Taiping escaped the fog and discovered he had been brought to a misty forest near the West Li Sea and Tianhai Pass.
• Bai Yu identified the area as Tianhai Town, and Xu Taiping followed it toward cries of people being hunted.
• A young woman carrying a fishing spear told A Hu to flee with the wounded Sea-Calming Tower officer while she faced the approaching demonic beast.

A young woman fought a powerful Demonic Beast and realized it might be a Deep-Sea Demonic Beast, suggesting the Sea-Calming Tower had failed. She fled toward a ruined temple to warn others, but her Swift Travel Talisman broke and the beast caught up with her.

• The young woman ordered A Hu to flee with their gravely wounded companion while she stayed behind to face the Demonic Beast.
• She dodged its attacks and pierced its chest with her fishing spear, but discovered that the beast did not die.
• The young woman suspected the creature was a Deep-Sea Demonic Beast and feared that the Sea-Calming Tower had failed.
• She used her last Swift Travel Talisman to run toward a ruined temple and warn the monk there.
• The talisman burst apart, and the Demonic Beast blasted a tree down in front of her before striking from behind.

Xu Taiping arrived in the forest just in time to save a wounded fisherman's young woman from a Deep-Sea Demonic Beast. After Ping'an brought her medicine, Xu Taiping dodged the beast's attack and launched a punch at its abdomen.

• The Deep-Sea Demonic Beast broke through the wind wall protecting the young woman and prepared to strike again.
• Xu Taiping appeared, repelled the beast's blade with blade qi, and asked whether the young woman was all right.
• Xu Taiping sent Ping'an to give her a Bone-Regenerating Pill.
• The Deep-Sea Demonic Beast attacked Xu Taiping, who calmly dodged its slash.
• Xu Taiping punched toward the beast's abdomen after its Fish-Bone Blade struck the ground.

Xu Taiping transformed his physique and defeated a Deep-Sea Demonic Beast, destroying its body and divine soul. The Fisherman's Young Woman explained that Tianhai Town’s fisherfolk hunted Demonic Beasts from the sea.

• The Deep-Sea Demonic Beast revealed its true demon body, and the Fisherman's Young Woman warned Xu Taiping about its strength.
• Xu Taiping transformed his physique into the Awakened Flood Dragon Realm and matched the beast’s power.
• Xu Taiping struck the beast from the air and drove it into the ground with a Baxia strike.
• The Deep-Sea Demonic Beast spat out a desperate bubble attack, but Xu Taiping shattered it and crushed the beast with a powerful punch.
• Xu Taiping burned away the beast’s divine soul, then asked the Fisherman's Young Woman about her knowledge of Demonic Beasts.
• The Fisherman's Young Woman explained that Tianhai Town’s fisherfolk caught Demonic Beasts in the sea rather than ordinary fish.

Xu Taiping learned that a Deep-Sea Demonic Beast had pursued A Zhu and her brother after they found a wounded Sea-Calming Tower Spy, suggesting the tower’s seal might have failed. When the spy woke, she warned Xu Taiping that Tianhai Pass must be held, confirming his Earth-Killing Tribulation was tied to the pass.

• A Zhu told Xu Taiping that she and her brother had found a gravely wounded Sea-Calming Tower Spy, then been chased ashore by a Deep-Sea Demonic Beast.
• A Zhu explained that Deep-Sea Demonic Beasts had rarely appeared at Tianhai Pass since the Sea-Calming Tower was built, and her grandfather had warned that their return could mean its seal had failed.
• Xu Taiping connected A Zhu’s warning to Demon Monk Zhenwu’s prediction that the area would become a hunting ground for the Demon Abyss.
• Bai Yu arrived carrying A Zhu’s brother and the wounded spy, and Ping'an gave the spy a Bone-Regenerating Pill.
• The spy woke and urged Xu Taiping to hold Tianhai Pass, warning that otherwise the people of Western Liang would die.
• Xu Taiping recognized the spy’s voice from his seventh killing tribulation and realized the crisis was his Earth-Killing Tribulation.

Xu Taiping and A Zhu learned that a traitor had wounded the Great General and revealed the location of his Life-bound Item, leaving Tianhai Town surrounded by Demonic Beasts and unable to evacuate. As the dying messenger produced the Zhang Clan's Yin Tally, she explained that Tianhai Town could hold out for only three to five days.

• The woman told Xu Taiping and A Zhu that a traitor had helped the Shark Emperor besiege the Sea-Calming Tower and revealed the Great General's Life-bound Item, a vital node of the Sea Incineration Grand Formation.
• A Zhu asked how long Tianhai Pass would need to hold, and the woman said the Great General might take a day or ten days to break free and come to their aid.
• The woman explained that Demonic Beasts had gathered around Tianhai Town's exits and would spare no one while searching for the Great General's Life-bound Item.
• Xu Taiping decided not to flee the earth-killing tribulation, but the woman said her poisoned body would not last long enough to reach the town's defending general.
• The woman said Tianhai Town could withstand the siege for only three to five days and produced a Yin Tally from the Great General; A Zhu recognized it as the Zhang Clan's Yin Tally.

Xu Taiping received the Yin Tally, which could command the ghosts of Zhang Clan members who died fighting at Tianhai Pass, and learned that the Great General’s Life-Bound Item could be found by its distinctive fragrance. Zhang Xiaoman died after urging them to defend Tianhai Pass, just as a vast host of Demonic Beasts surged from the West Li Sea.

• A Zhu explained that the Yin Tally was bound to the Zhang Clan’s Blood Pact, and Zhang Xiaoman gave it to Xu Taiping so he could command the fallen Zhang Clan ghosts.
• Xu Taiping saw Wan Qianhu and the Red Armor Cavalry ghosts who had died in the Water Prison, and they said they had no regrets.
• A Zhu revealed that her grandfather was Zhang Bailian, and Zhang Xiaoman disclosed that the Great General’s Life-Bound Item had a distinctive fragrance.
• Zhang Xiaoman urged Xu Taiping and A Zhu to hold Tianhai Pass, then died in A Zhu’s arms and was recognized as the Great General’s daughter.
• A huge force of Demonic Beasts appeared across the West Li Sea, and Xu Taiping prepared to leave with A Zhu.
• Master Xuanzhi ran toward Xu Taiping, calling out to him.

Xu Taiping and Monk Xuanzhi reached Tianhai Town as deep-sea demonic beasts attacked, and Xu Taiping presented Zhang Xiaoman’s token to seek Old General Zhang Kaitai. On the walls, they saw the Sea Incineration Formation failing to stop the advancing beasts, leaving the Red Armor Cavalry to fight them.

• Xu Taiping learned that Xuanzhi had lived in Tianhai Town for six years after his master sent him there in anticipation of a calamity.
• Xuanzhi revealed that his master had also foretold the town’s coming disaster, and the companions agreed that Zhenwu had sent Xu Taiping there deliberately.
• Xu Taiping showed Zhang Xiaoman’s Red Armor Cavalry token, and A Zhu and A Hu were taken to meet Zhang Kaitai while Xu Taiping and Xuanzhi waited on the walls.
• Xu Taiping watched the Sea Incineration Formation burn the deep-sea beasts, but a Red Armor Cavalry soldier explained that true demon bodies could withstand its flames.
• Hundreds of demonic beasts advanced toward the walls, and the soldier raised his bow to attack after explaining that the formation would burn each beast only three times.

Xu Taiping tested the Sea Incineration Formation’s enhancement of physical attacks and destroyed a deep-sea demonic beast with one arrow. When stranded commoners gathered outside the city gate and beasts charged toward them, he offered to go down and rescue them.

• A Liang explained that the Sea Incineration Formation strengthened physical attacks, and Xu Taiping borrowed his bow and waist token to test it.
• Xu Taiping drew A Liang’s thousand-stone bow and killed a flying-fish-shaped demonic beast with a single arrow.
• Xu Taiping asked for a heavier bow to test his strength further, but cries for help came from commoners stranded outside the city.
• As demonic beasts charged toward the gate, Xu Taiping asked A Liang for another waist token so he could go down and bring the people inside, but A Liang warned him that it was too dangerous.

Xu Taiping got permission from Zhang Liang to descend from Tianhai Pass and rescue the civilians, while the five Liu brothers fought to protect them from the Deep-Sea Demonic Beasts. As the brothers faced another volley of deadly water bubbles, Xu Taiping and Bai Yu were on their way down, but the Liu brothers' fate remained uncertain.

• The five Liu brothers used their Gang Qi to shield the civilians from the Deep-Sea Demonic Beasts' water bubbles and asked the Red Armor Camp to open the gate.
• Zhang Liang initially refused to open the gate because doing so would weaken the Sea Incineration Formation, while Lu Kun warned Xu Taiping that going down would make him a target.
• After the Liu brothers were driven back by another attack, Xu Taiping convinced Zhang Liang to let him try rescuing the civilians.
• Xu Taiping summoned Bai Yu, took Lu Kun's waist token, and flew down from the wall as A Liang shot down a Demonic Beast to cover him.
• The five Liu brothers' Gang Qi shields shattered, and they charged the Demonic Beasts together to protect the civilians.
• Badly wounded by another volley of water bubbles, the eldest Liu brother stood with his saber and told his brothers they would die together as another attack came.

Xu Taiping rescued villagers at the city gates and fought off the Deep-Sea Demonic Beasts, but a barrage of bone spears and a terrifying awakening presence in the sea signaled a greater threat. He ordered Bai Yu to leave as he slashed at the incoming spears.

• Xu Taiping blocked a water bubble with a wind wall and brought the villagers aboard Bai Yu.
• Xu Taiping killed a sand-burrowing demonic beast with gang wind and true fire, then split another with the Water-Cutting Blade.
• Xu Taiping realized the Sea Incineration Formation seemed to increase the power of his blade techniques and grew wary that stronger beasts were coming.
• Xu Taiping intercepted a bone spear aimed at Bai Yu, then saw more spears launch from the sea as a terrifying aura began to awaken.
• Xu Taiping shouted for Bai Yu to go and sent over a hundred blade shadows toward the incoming bone spears.