Recaps

While forming his Golden Core under the lightning tribulation, Xiao Hua comprehended sword intent and created a growing Heart Sword from Dream Slayer and Mountain Splitting. He used its sword qi to repair his seven Sword Pellets, then noticed the damaged Small Pouch remained unchanged.

• Xiao Hua realized that true sword intent came from the sword itself and formed a Heart Sword by merging Dream Slayer, Mountain Splitting, and his sword essence.
• The Heart Sword’s growth pushed toward sword transformation, but the celestial phenomenon and Xiao Hua’s limited foundation prevented him from escaping its restraints.
• Xiao Hua brought out True Person Mingjian’s flying sword, but Tianlu’s white tiger sword intent challenged the Heart Sword, so he put the sword away.
• Xiao Hua fed his seven damaged Sword Pellets into the Heart Sword’s sword intent, which repaired them one by one in less than a day.
• After withdrawing the repaired Sword Pellets, Xiao Hua noticed that the damaged Small Pouch within the Buddhist fire had not changed.

Xiao Hua used the Small Pouch to absorb the Sword Tomb’s spiritual energy and began condensing a golden core, only for a lightning tribulation to descend. Little White urged Xiao Hua to send him and a wisp of Xiao Hua’s Primordial Spirit into the tribulation, claiming the danger could unlock the path to an External Incarnation.

• Xiao Hua discovered that the Small Pouch absorbed all the incoming sword qi, sword intent, and Golden Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, but the heavenly lightning’s confinement prevented him from escaping.
• Xiao Hua swallowed Qianli Pills and refined the incoming crystals until his true essence formed a needle-shaped sphere and began condensing into a golden core.
• Xiao Hua continued taking pills as his core grew to fist size, while the lightning cores in his dantian fed it and the spiritual energy kept pouring in.
• Thunder crashed down, and Xiao Hua cautiously extended his divine sense before recognizing that Little White was calling to him through the mysterious dark clouds.
• Little White asked Xiao Hua to send him out to face the lightning tribulation and urged him to send a wisp of his Primordial Spirit as well, saying the ordeal could help create an External Incarnation.

Xiao Hua and Little White Dragon faced a golden lightning tribulation while Xiao Hua’s Golden Core was still unfinished. The lightning tore through their bodies and spiritual forms, but also reshaped them and began rebuilding Xiao Hua’s lost Primordial Spirit; the chapter ended as a new black-and-white Primordial Spirit appeared under the lightning’s assault.

• Xiao Hua sent Little White Dragon out of the Dharma Eye’s soul mark, then released his divided Primordial Spirits, soul threads, and Buddha Sarira in hopes of gaining from the tribulation.
• Little White Dragon recognized the Small Pouch and circled it as dark red storm clouds and golden lightning gathered over the Fan Jin Great Formation.
• Xiao Hua realized the tribulation had begun before his Golden Core was complete and swallowed all his remaining Qianli Pills as the lightning immobilized him.
• Golden lightning destroyed the Fan Jin Great Formation and struck Xiao Hua, Little White Dragon, the Buddha Sarira, and the Heart Sword, shattering and then rebuilding them amid the pain.
• The lightning destroyed Xiao Hua’s Primordial Spirits and soul threads, but a mysterious fluctuation passed through the Dharma Eye’s soul mark and storm clouds before returning to form a new black-and-white Primordial Spirit.

Xiao Hua endured the third bolt of the Three Golden Lightning Tribulation as the Small Pouch absorbed spiritual qi, sword qi, and sword intent, destabilizing the Sword Tomb. The chapter left Xiao Hua’s Golden Core transformed and the Sword Tomb collapsing, while Lu Ruochang prepared to resume the battle once the heavenly phenomenon ended.

• The Small Pouch absorbed the Sword Tomb’s spiritual qi, sword qi, and fragmented sword intent, while its repairs released pure Golden spiritual qi into Xiao Hua and strengthened his body and dantian.
• A second bolt of heavenly lightning struck Xiao Hua, worsening his injuries as the Small Pouch continued drawing in the forces around him.
• The Spirit Devouring Insects became uncontrollable, and Lu Ruochang’s forces abandoned their formations and waited for the heavenly phenomenon to end.
• The Small Pouch’s absorption spread through the Sword Tomb, collapsing formations and sweeping purple flowers and other remnants toward its center as cultivators and swordsmen fled.
• Lu Ruochang rejected Ruoling’s resignation and ordered the swordsmen to prepare to attack the cultivators after the phenomenon passed.
• Xiao Hua endured a third lightning bolt, and the Small Pouch absorbed the wronged souls as his Heart Sword grew more solid and his Golden Core transformed into a central core surrounded by silver particles and enlarged Lightning Cores.

After Xiao Hua survived the third Three Golden Lightning Tribulation, he discovered that the Sword Tomb had vanished and that his golden core had changed his abilities. He realized Huanhua Sect disciples were under attack and rushed toward them, leaving the Small Pouch’s fate unresolved.

• Little White Dragon roared after the tribulation, asked Xiao Hua to send him away to cultivate in seclusion, and Xiao Hua returned him to Qi Heaven.
• Xiao Hua examined his newly formed golden core, found that his Lightning Drawing Technique no longer worked, and tested his increased strength by casting a fireball.
• Xiao Hua captured a group of Spirit Devouring Insects and discovered that the Small Pouch had absorbed the Sword Tomb, leaving the area clear beneath the midday sun.
• Xiao Hua sensed Dao Sect disciples fleeing and realized a war had taken place, then prepared to find his wife and collected his formation, treasures, and the Buddha Sarira.
• Xiao Hua saw Huanhua Sect disciples being pursued by sword cultivators and used Thunder Control Movement to rush toward the still-absorbing Small Pouch.

Xiao Hua took the Small Pouch and rushed to save the besieged Dao cultivators, disguising himself as the Nascent Soul cultivator Nameless. His arrival halted the sword cultivators’ advance, and he learned that Qian Mo had died before reaching the Sword Mound.

• Xiao Hua took the Small Pouch, discovered his Lightning Evasion Technique had advanced, and hurried toward the battle after learning Fairy Hongxia, Li Zongbao, and Xiao Mao were in danger.
• Lu Ruochang led the sword cultivators against Heng Ming’s exhausted Dao cultivators, while Fairy Hongxia, Xiao Mao, and Li Zongbao struggled to survive.
• Lu Ruochang mocked Heng Ming’s hope for a Nascent Soul elder as the Dao cultivators suffered heavy losses and the three companions faced several sword cultivators.
• Xiao Hua arrived disguised as Nameless, and the sword cultivators recoiled when his Nascent Soul pressure swept across the battlefield.
• Heng Ming and the surviving Golden Core cultivators paid respects to Nameless, who asked about the losses and learned from Yuan Zhongyu that Qian Mo had sacrificed himself to foil Lu Ruochang’s trap.

Xiao Hua, disguised as Senior Nameless, confronted Lu Ruochang after learning she had trapped the Dao Sect forces in the Sword Tomb. He tried to force her to release the Dao Sect disciples without escalating the war, but Lu Ruochang refused, and Xiao Hua began forming a Nascent Soul hand as Ruoling pleaded with him to stop.

• Heng Ming told Xiao Hua that Lu Ruochang had used several formations to ambush the Dao Sect disciples, and thanked him for saving them when his Nascent Soul breakthrough disrupted the Sword Cultivators’ battle formation.
• Lu Ruochang and the other Illusion Sword Swordsmen saluted Xiao Hua, then warned him that Sword Transformation elders could retaliate if he interfered in the war.
• Xiao Hua argued that both sides had suffered heavy losses and urged the Sword Cultivators to stop, but Lu Ruochang said she could not decide whether the battle would end.
• Lu Ruochang refused to release the Dao Sect disciples, and Xiao Hua threatened her before drawing in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to form a Nascent Soul hand around her.
• Ruoling pleaded with Xiao Hua to stay his hand, arguing that killing Lu Ruochang would not change the outcome of the battle.

Lu Ruochang’s flying-sword message revealed that the Sword Domain’s real objective had been to seize territory in Lian Kingdom, leaving Xiao Hua unable to change the war’s outcome. The sword cultivators departed in triumph while the defeated Daoist cultivators regrouped to return to Xuntian City.

• Xiao Hua prepared to attack Lu Ruochang, but a flying-sword message arrived and changed his mind.
• Lu Ruochang read the message and celebrated after learning that her forces had captured territory in Lian Kingdom.
• Ruoling announced that sword cultivators had taken lands, thirteen cultivation families, and two sects in Lian Kingdom, stunning both sides.
• Ruoling and Mu Ting led Lu Ruochang away as Zhu Chengye ordered the sword cultivators to return in triumph.
• Xiao Hua refused to hear about Qian Mo and flew south, while Heng Ming ordered the surviving Daoist cultivators to regroup and return to Xuntian City.
• Dexun wondered whether Xiao Hua had caused the strange dragon roar and lightning within the Sword Tomb.

After the Sword Tomb vanished, the Dao Sect survivors prepared to return to Xuntian City, while Fairy Hongxia suspected Wuming was Xiao Hua. Xiao Hua investigated his unusual Golden Core and waited for his wife, who finally flew toward him.

• Cheng Ming and the other Golden Core cultivators concluded that a strange beast's tribulation had caused the Sword Tomb's disappearance and vowed to report how Wuming had saved them.
• The surviving disciples flew west to join the other forces and return to Xuntian City, while Li Zongbao and Xiao Mao suspected Wuming was Xiao Hua.
• Fairy Hongxia watched Mingyue gaze after Wuming, decided she would question her husband, and left with the others as the Sword Tomb became ordinary.
• Beneath the vanished Sword Tomb, a hidden shell lay amid boiling black and blood-red currents as drops of Xiao Hua's blood were drawn toward it.
• Several days later, Xiao Hua found that his Lightning Drawing Technique still worked and discovered a Heavenly Dao Starry Sky within his unusual Golden Core.
• Xiao Hua waited for Fairy Hongxia, who arrived after a delay and rushed toward him when her divine sense found him.

Xiao Hua reunited with Fairy Hongxia after the Sword Tomb battle, and they shared an intimate reunion before discussing his concealed cultivation and her ordeal. Fairy Hongxia insisted on continuing to walk her own cultivation path, and the chapter ended with her teasing Xiao Hua for getting the directions to their meeting place wrong.

• Fairy Hongxia embraced Xiao Hua and asked him to love her, and they spent several hours together in a hidden cave.
• Fairy Hongxia questioned Xiao Hua about his disguised identity as Nameless and his other partners, then told him not to appear as Nameless again.
• Fairy Hongxia explained that she had arrived late because the sects were counting survivors after the Daoist forces suffered heavy losses at Sword Tomb.
• Fairy Hongxia told Xiao Hua that Li Zongbao held their reward for killing Qin Jian and would give him a surprise.
• Fairy Hongxia recounted her experiences at Sword Tomb, and Xiao Hua comforted her while she insisted she must face her own cultivation trials.
• Fairy Hongxia revealed that Xiao Hua had mistaken the directions and that she had found him by flying farther west.

Xiao Hua told Fairy Hongxia that the Small Pouch had destroyed the Sword Tomb, while withholding details about matters tied to the Huanhua Sect. After discussing the war’s heavy losses and plans to reach Million Meng Mountain, they agreed that Fairy Hongxia would report to her sect while Xiao Hua stayed hidden and contacted Li Zongbao.

• Fairy Hongxia asked Xiao Hua about the Sword Tomb’s celestial phenomena, and he explained that the Small Pouch had destroyed it while keeping the complicated Huanhua Sect-related matters to himself.
• Fairy Hongxia examined the Small Pouch, urged Xiao Hua to guard its secret, and learned that he had picked it up as junk.
• Xiao Hua and Fairy Hongxia discussed the losses among the cultivation sects, the unknown circumstances of Gan Mo’s death, and the expected arrival of Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Xiao Hua urged Fairy Hongxia to leave for Million Meng Mountain immediately, but she explained why they should first report to Martial Uncle Ming Yue and account for the dangers around the vanished Sword Tomb.
• Fairy Hongxia agreed to report to Martial Uncle Ming Yue and then travel with Xiao Hua, while Xiao Hua agreed to remain hidden and contact Li Zongbao.

Xiao Hua reunited with Li Zongbao and Xiao Mao after avoiding the Daoist main force, and learned how devastating the battle at Sword Mound had been. Li Zongbao explained that Tu Hong had proposed the Ten Directions Annihilation Great Formation, though its credit went to Gan Mo, leaving Xiao Hua astonished.

• Fairy Hongxia set off to meet Martial Uncle Xiang Ming while Xiao Hua used the Lightning Evasion Technique and reached the Daoist main force.
• Xiao Hua sent Li Zongbao a communication talisman and met him with Xiao Mao, whom he cautioned about staying close to Li Zongbao.
• Li Zongbao revealed that only a little over a hundred thousand Daoist disciples remained after the battle at Sword Mound.
• Li Zongbao told Xiao Hua that Lu Ruochang had forced Gan Mo to self-detonate, and Xiao Hua reflected on why Gan Mo had stayed behind.
• Li Zongbao explained that Tu Hong had proposed the Ten Directions Annihilation Great Formation, but Gan Mo received the credit after Tu Hong was killed by Qin Jian.

Xiao Hua experienced a mysterious change after hearing Li Zongbao explain the Sword Tomb battle, then divided the rewards for killing Qin Jian with Li Zongbao and Xiao Mao. As the war paused, the three learned their task force would be honored permanently and agreed to support one another.

• After Li Zongbao recounted the Sword Tomb battle, the Hand of Cause and Effect in Xiao Hua’s space surged, briefly filling him with profound insight and making Li Zongbao and Xiao Mao think he had changed.
• Li Zongbao offered to give up his share of the Council Hall rewards, but Xiao Hua insisted on dividing them with Xiao Mao and shared the treasures between them.
• Li Zongbao gave Xiao Hua the Thunder Control Sect Leader’s Special Pardon Order, which could pardon its holder from death once.
• Li Zongbao explained that the disciples would remain in Xuntian City until the Nascent Soul seniors arrived, after which they could return to their sects.
• Li Zongbao said the Council Hall special task force would be permanently commemorated, and the three agreed they could turn to one another for help.

After the war ended, Xiao Hua, Fairy Hongxia, and Li Zongbao agreed to travel to Million Meng Mountain, where Li hoped to see Cai Zhuoxia through a soul cultivator secret technique. A communication talisman then revealed that a close relative of Xiao Hua was in danger, and he rushed away alone.

• Fairy Hongxia arrived and told Xiao Hua that the war had ended, then arranged to travel with him to Million Meng Mountain.
• Li Zongbao revealed that he had loved Cai Zhuoxia and hoped to use a Million Meng Mountain secret technique to see her again.
• Xiao Hua explained that Cai Zhuoxia had died while protecting the Cai Family of Luyang from the schemes of Misty Mountain and Flying Phoenix Ridge.
• Fairy Hongxia invited Li Zongbao and Xiao Mao to accompany them to Million Meng Mountain, and Xiao Mao agreed to seek leave from the Xunyan Sect.
• Xiao Hua received a communication talisman saying a close relative was in danger and flew away using Zhe Lei Evasion.

Xiao Hua met Zhang Qingxiao, who urgently summoned him because Jiang Liuer had fallen unconscious after studying a Buddhist cultivation technique Xiao Hua had given him. Zhang Qingxiao prepared to take Xiao Hua to help, while Xiao Hua continued stabilizing his newly formed Golden Core and opened meridians.

• Fairy Hongxia and Li Zongbao decided to return to Xuntian City and prepare for the journey to Million Meng Mountain after Xiao Hua departed.
• Xiao Hua followed Zhang Qingxiao’s Communication Talisman and met him alone in the wilderness.
• Zhang Qingxiao revealed that he planned to establish the Heavenly Demon Sect during the coming Nascent Soul battle and questioned Xiao Hua about avoiding the Sword Tomb.
• Zhang Qingxiao explained that Jiang Liuer had fallen unconscious after studying Xiao Hua’s Buddhist technique, and Xiao Hua agreed to address the problem.
• Zhang Qingxiao confronted Xiao Hua about killing Tu Hong, and Xiao Hua defended his decision before taking spirit pills to stabilize his cultivation.

Xiao Hua told Zhang Qingxiao that Zhang Yuhe had died and revealed that she had been refined into the Yin Yang Sword Gourds, which contained unfinished Spirit Severing Primordial Light. After Zhang Qingxiao gave him a jade slip on refining and using it, Xiao Hua disclosed the Duojin Mountain Yu Family’s mass blood sacrifice, leaving Zhang Qingxiao shocked.

• Xiao Hua told Zhang Qingxiao that Zhang Yuhe had died, and Zhang Qingxiao initially seemed relieved that her death had nothing to do with him.
• Xiao Hua showed Zhang Qingxiao the Yin Yang Sword Gourds and explained that Zhang Yuhe had become the yin spirit within the Great Yin Yang Sword Spirit.
• Xiao Hua released the sword light, and Zhang Qingxiao recognized it as unfinished Spirit Severing Primordial Light, a powerful killing weapon.
• Zhang Qingxiao used a Demonic Sect technique to produce a jade slip containing methods for refining and using the Spirit Severing Primordial Light, then gave it to Xiao Hua.
• Xiao Hua realized the Duojin Mountain Yu Family’s knowledge of the weapon suggested a connection to the Myriad Monster Realm and told Zhang Qingxiao about the family’s plan to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of cultivators.
• Zhang Qingxiao was horrified by the planned blood sacrifice, and Xiao Hua argued that good and evil, rather than Daoist or demonic affiliation, defined the difference between Dao and demonic conduct.

Xiao Hua learned how spatial veins, nodes, and passages connected different realms as Zhang Qingxiao explained them. After Zhang Qingxiao returned from seeking news about the Daoist cultivator war, he confronted Xiao Hua about the unexpected surprises he had discovered.

• Zhang Qingxiao suspected the Duojin Mountain Yu Family had ties to the Myriad Monster Realm, and Xiao Hua asked what that realm was.
• Zhang Qingxiao showed Xiao Hua how spatial veins connected realms, how most intersections formed deadly fracture points, and how overlapping veins created passages.
• Zhang Qingxiao explained that the spatial veins linking the Demon Realm and Xiaoyu Continent fluctuated, forming passages through which demons could invade about once every thousand years.
• Xiao Hua suspected the Yu Family had come to Xiaoyu Continent to seek the entrance to the Yi Ze Realm, while Zhang Qingxiao dismissed the matter and waited for news from Xuntian City.
• After Zhang Qingxiao returned with a jade slip, he stared at Xiao Hua and asked who he really was, saying Xiao Hua had surprised him again.

Xiao Hua told Zhang Qingxiao that the Small Pouch had caused the Sword Tomb’s destruction, and the two left aboard the Ink Jade Arrow Boat. At Thunder Control Sect, Shengyunzi advised Ganlei Zi to focus recruitment efforts near the Xi–Meng Kingdom border, where unusually many promising children had come from.

• Xiao Hua revealed his Golden Core cultivation and gave Zhang Qingxiao the Small Pouch to inspect, but Zhang Qingxiao could not identify it and said its power surpassed ten Spirit Severing Primordial Lights.
• Zhang Qingxiao took Xiao Hua aboard the Heavenly Demon Sect’s Ink Jade Arrow Boat and flew south from Xi Kingdom.
• Ganlei Zi questioned Dui Jie and Shengyunzi about recruitment, learning that lightning-element children were increasingly rare and the sect’s disciple population had fallen by at least twenty percent.
• Shengyunzi recommended recruiting fewer rogue cultivators and more disciples from cultivation clans, noting that clan recruits advanced unusually quickly.
• Shengyunzi reported that forty percent of recruited children came from the Xi–Meng Kingdom border and urged Ganlei Zi to send recruiters into that region and deeper into Meng Kingdom.

Ganlei Zi learned that the Thunder Control Sect’s forces at Xuntian City had suffered catastrophic losses in the Sword Tomb battle, despite winning the greatest military merit. As the survivors awaited their return, True Person Kuangtian arrived at the Great Thunder Hall.

• Ganlei Zi ordered Shengyunzi and Dui Jie to recruit more disciples in Meng Kingdom and criticized Dui Jie for not visiting Snowy Realm True Person in Xuntian City.
• Fairy Xuanhua and Fairy Yaofeng discussed Qian Mo’s role in the war, and Ganlei Zi explained that he had chosen Qian Mo to preserve the Thunder Control Sect’s disciples rather than lead an aggressive campaign.
• Qian Ping contacted Ganlei Zi and reported that the Sword Tomb battle had left only a little over ten thousand Thunder Control Sect disciples alive from nearly one hundred thousand committed to the war.
• Ganlei Zi agreed that the surviving disciples should return to their sects and promised to welcome and reward them at Qiong Lei Peak.
• True Person Kuangtian entered the Great Thunder Hall and bowed to Ganlei Zi and the Palace Masters.

Ganlei Zi explained that the Dao Sect leaders had sent disciples into a war they never intended to win, using the conflict to weaken powerful Cultivation families. He revealed that Qian Mo had been ordered to protect Thunder Control Sect's disciples, and the chapter ended with the sect's leaders grieving the loss of its blood-relative backbone.

• Ganlei Zi and the other Thunder Control Sect leaders mourned Qian Mo and praised Wuming's role in saving Dao Sect cultivators from the Sword Tomb.
• True Person Kuangtian reported that his search through four Thunder Palaces had not identified Wuming, while Ganlei Zi said the sect had lost sixty thousand disciples.
• Fairy Yaofeng questioned why Ganlei Zi had sent Qian Mo into battle, and Ganlei Zi sealed the Great Thunder Hall before revealing the war's purpose.
• Ganlei Zi explained that the sect leaders used the Great Sword Dao Battle to kill or curb Cultivation family disciples whose power had grown during the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi aberration.
• Ganlei Zi said he had instructed Qian Mo to protect Thunder Control Sect's disciples, and the leaders realized that the sixty thousand dead included many of the sect's blood relatives and core strength.

After the Sword Dao Great Battle’s heavy losses, Ganlei Zi weighed the Thunder Control Sect’s position and decided to avoid drawing attention to Nameless while he entered seclusion. Xunyunzi then demanded that Ganlei Zi go to Xuntian City, leaving True Person Miyou and True Person Kuangtian to face the pressure.

• True Person Kuangtian explained that Nameless’s Lightning Evasion cultivation had been overestimated and argued that finding him could invite unwanted attention from rival sects.
• Ganlei Zi agreed that Nameless should be left to cultivate in peace, then ordered True Person Miyou and True Person Kuangtian to go to Xuntian City while he entered seclusion.
• Xunyunzi contacted True Person Miyou and questioned why Ganlei Zi had entered seclusion during the war’s emergency.
• True Person Miyou cited the Thunder Control Sect’s losses and offered to accompany Xunyunzi instead, while defending the sect against his accusations about Nameless.
• Xunyunzi insisted that Ganlei Zi must go to Xuntian City to uphold the Thunder Control Sect’s and Xi Kingdom’s dignity.

Ganlei Zi arranged Thunder Control Sect affairs before preparing to enter seclusion to pursue the late Nascent Soul stage. Meanwhile, Xiao Hua traveled with Zhang Qingxiao through the Heavenly Demon Sect’s hidden teleportation network toward Huanghua Ridge, where he tried to learn how its arrays were built.

• True Person Miyou and True Person Kuangtian discussed sending Thunder Control Sect disciples to Xuntian City with Xunyunzi, while Kuangtian pressed him for a congratulatory gift.
• After the communication ended, Ganlei Zi praised Kuangtian’s handling of Xunyunzi and ordered him to search for Nameless alongside Kan Sheng and investigate surviving disciples.
• Ganlei Zi told Fairy Xuanhua and the others he intended to enter seclusion and genuinely pursue the late Nascent Soul stage, while ordering them to protect the sect’s disciples.
• Ganlei Zi wondered whether Qinghuo and Xiao Hua had survived the war, and True Person Kuangtian reassured him that both were likely safe.
• Xiao Hua followed Zhang Qingxiao through several concealed teleportation arrays and realized how the Heavenly Demon Sect could travel quickly to Huanghua Ridge.
• Xiao Hua asked Zhang Qingxiao how the teleportation arrays were made, but Zhang Qingxiao refused to reveal the secret; Xiao Hua offered to share his knowledge of formations and mentioned the Great Universe Shifting Token.

Zhang Qingxiao and Xiao Hua traveled toward Huanghua Ridge while discussing their formations and Xiao Hua’s cultivation. They reached the ridge’s patrol range, where Xiao Hua claimed to be visiting Jiang Fan, and Cao Ming reacted with alarm.

• Zhang Qingxiao refused to trade his Teleportation Array for Xiao Hua’s Duotian Star Array, explaining that the formation was vital to the Heavenly Demon Sect and could not be used by Daoist cultivators.
• Xiao Hua cultivated the Spirit Severing Primordial Light and worried that the lightning tribulation had made his Primordial Spirits increasingly independent.
• After more than ten days of travel, Zhang Qingxiao and Xiao Hua arrived near Huanghua Ridge, where Zhang said he had arranged ways to protect the ridge without managing it directly.
• Zhang Qingxiao stopped outside the patrol range and showed Xiao Hua that Hundred Herbs Sect cultivators were guarding the area.
• Cao Ming questioned the two concealed Foundation Establishment cultivators, and Xiao Hua introduced himself as Xiao Ding of the Shanghua Sect and asked to visit Jiang Fan, alarming Cao Ming.

Xiao Hua questioned Hundred Herbs Sect disciples about Jiang Fan’s death, doubting that illness had killed him. After Zhang Qingxiao killed Fan Zhe, the two left the baffled disciples with medicinal pills and no explanation.

• Cao Ming told Xiao Hua that Jiang Fan and his family had died of a grave illness years earlier and that Xiao had rebuilt the Hundred Herbs Sect.
• Xiao Hua accused Cao Ming of hiding the truth and imprisoned him and the nearby disciples to force them to talk.
• Fan Zhe offered to reveal what he knew, denounced the Hundred Herbs Sect, and Xiao Hua threatened the other disciples for information.
• Zhang Qingxiao killed Fan Zhe with a flash of radiance, despite Xiao Hua’s attempt to intervene.
• Xiao Hua freed the remaining disciples, gave them medicinal pills, and departed with Zhang Qingxiao, leaving Cao Ming and the others confused.

Xiao Hua and Zhang Qingxiao debated the test of Huanghua Ridge’s disciples before entering the restored sect grounds. As Xiao Hua sought out his Senior Sister and Jiang Liuer, Zhang Qingxiao discovered that Xiao Hua could use the Demon Realm’s Shadow Concealment Art.

• Cao Ming gathered the shaken disciples and led them to collect Fan Zhe’s remains, gaining insight into the importance of a clear conscience.
• Xiao Hua and Zhang Qingxiao argued over Fan Zhe’s death, Huanghua Ridge’s loyalty, and Zhang Qingxiao’s influence over the sect.
• Zhang Qingxiao opened the spell formation at Huanghua Ridge, and Xiao Hua reflected on the sect’s future as the birthplace of the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Creation Sect.
• Xiao Hua apologized to Zhang Qingxiao after seeing Huanghua Ridge restored, then learned that his Senior Sister and Jiang Liuer were at the Xi Hua Peak Medicine Garden.
• Zhang Qingxiao used the Shadow Concealment Art, and he was astonished when Xiao Hua began using the same Demon Realm technique.