Recaps

Ling Zhengyi refused to swear an oath over Pu Jianyuan’s missing magic artifact, and the dispute erupted into a fight inside Misty Mountain’s ancestral hall. Pu Jianyuan revealed his plan to seize Misty Mountain’s foundation, while Ling Zhengyi fled the hall and fought back with his magic artifacts as Qian Yuming joined the battle.

• Ling Zhengyi rejected Zhan Yu and Qian Yuming’s demand that he swear an oath and activated the hall’s restriction with an ancient jade pendant.
• Pu Jianyuan revealed an identical pendant, countered Ling Zhengyi’s control of the restriction, and confessed that he intended to unite Flying Phoenix Ridge and Misty Mountain by force.
• Ling Zhengyi fled the hall using Jade Hollow to shield himself from Zhan Yu’s attack, while Pu Jianyuan moved to block his escape.
• Ling Zhengyi accused Pu Jianyuan of coveting Misty Mountain and the Fire Ape, then attacked him with a flaming net.
• Pu Jianyuan used his Immortal Binding Circle to meet the attack, and Qian Yuming released a multicolored figure from his spirit storage pouch.

Ling Zhengyi was overwhelmed by Pu Jianyuan, Zhan Yu, and Qian Yuming, who combined their magic artifacts and the Lion Tiger Beast to break through his defenses. Ling Feiyun rushed in to save his father, but Pu Jianyuan trapped him in flames as Ling Zhengyi lay defeated.

• Qian Yuming sent the Lion Tiger Beast at Ling Zhengyi while Zhan Yu attacked him with the Condensing Turtle, and the beast tore open Ling Zhengyi’s mist cocoon.
• Pu Jianyuan joined the assault with Shadow Moon, and Qian Yuming added the Desert Pearl’s yellow sand as Ling Zhengyi’s defenses weakened.
• Ling Zhengyi urged Pu Jianyuan to fight him alone and offered to yield Misty Mountain, but Pu Jianyuan refused and continued attacking.
• Qian Yuming buried Ling Zhengyi beneath yellow sand, leaving him pale and defenseless as the others subdued his magic artifacts.
• Zhan Yu and Qian Yuming withdrew after fulfilling their agreement, while Pu Jianyuan sent the Immortal Binding Circle toward Ling Zhengyi.
• Ling Feiyun rushed in with Fire Snake Talismans to save his father, but Pu Jianyuan trapped him in flames.

Pu Jianyuan attacked Ling Zhengyi’s family to recover a missing inherited magic artifact, but Xue Xue arrived with Xiao Hua, Xiangyang, and Yan Qinglian. Xiangyang agreed to hear both sides, leaving Pu Jianyuan’s accusation against Xiao Hua unresolved.

• Pu Jianyuan threatened Ling Feiyun and bound Ling Zhengyi while forcing him to reveal the mountain’s entrance and surrender his storage pouch.
• Xue Xue arrived with Xiao Hua and the mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian, terrifying Pu Jianyuan, Zhan Yu, and Qian Yuming.
• Xiao Hua burned away Ling Zhengyi’s binding circle and freed Ling Feiyun from Pu Jianyuan’s restraint.
• Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian identified themselves as Thunder Control Sect disciples and ordered Pu Jianyuan and his companions to put away their weapons and wait.
• Xiangyang asked the parties to explain the dispute, and Pu Jianyuan claimed Xiao Hua had taken his inherited magic artifact and demanded a blood oath.

Xiangyang refused to intervene in the dispute between Misty Mountain and Flying Phoenix Ridge, but Xiao Hua stepped forward and revealed Flying Phoenix Ridge’s inherited magical artifact. The chapter ended with Pu Jianyuan demanding that Xiangyang help him reclaim it while Xiao Hua insisted he had his own reasons for acting.

• Zhan Yu and Pu Jianyuan urged Xiangyang to make Ling Feiyun reveal the inherited magical artifact, but Ling Feiyun accused them of threatening to destroy Misty Mountain.
• Xiangyang declined to settle the dispute, saying the sects should resolve their own affairs, and Ling Zhengyi fell silent when Xiangyang challenged him to swear a Heart Oath.
• Xue Xue watched anxiously as Xiao Hua declared that the matter involved him and that he would handle it himself.
• Xiao Hua produced Flying Phoenix Ridge’s inherited magical artifact and challenged Pu Jianyuan to take it without troubling Misty Mountain again.
• Pu Jianyuan asked Xiangyang to uphold justice and help reclaim the artifact, but Xiao Hua told Xiangyang not to interfere because he had his own reasons.

Xiao Hua fought Pu Jianyuan after Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian agreed not to interfere, overwhelming him with the Leaf Sun Fan and his Phoenix Dharma Body. Pu Jianyuan awakened his bloodline and manifested a Fire Ape Dharma Body, which faced Xiao Hua’s Phoenix as the chapter ended.

• Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian told Pu Jianyuan they would not interfere, though they remained ready to protect Xiao Hua if he was harmed.
• Pu Jianyuan attacked Xiao Hua with Fireball Talismans and a triangular magical artifact, but Xiao Hua countered with his Leaf Sun Fan and burned the artifact to ruin.
• Xiao Hua released his Phoenix Dharma Body, resisted Pu Jianyuan’s Foundation Establishment pressure, and struck at him with its claws.
• Pu Jianyuan used Shadow Moon and Yaori against Xiao Hua, but Shadow Moon drained most of his spiritual power and triggered his bloodline awakening.
• Pu Jianyuan manifested a Fire Ape Dharma Body at mid Foundation Establishment, and Xiao Hua’s Phoenix Dharma Body turned to attack it.

Xiao Hua killed Pu Jianyuan after dodging his Shadow Moon attack and overcoming his awakened bloodline, then took Pu Jianyuan’s treasures. He confronted Zhan Yu and Qian Yuming, who begged to be spared, while Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian remained wary of him.

• Pu Jianyuan awakened his bloodline, raised his magical power to near mid Foundation Establishment, and sent Shadow Moon phantoms at Xiao Hua.
• Xiao Hua dodged the phantoms, wounded Pu Jianyuan with Palm Thunder and Zhu Meng, then used a streak of blue-red radiance to paralyze and kill him.
• Xiao Hua took Pu Jianyuan’s storage pouch, recalled the fire dragon, and collected Shadow Moon and Yaori before facing the stunned cultivators.
• Xiao Hua asked Zhan Yu and Qian Yuming whether they wanted to live or die, and both pleaded that Pu Jianyuan had incited them.
• Ling Zhengyi challenged their account, but Xiao Hua silenced him, while Xue Xue stayed out of the decision.

Xiao Hua forced Zhan Yu and Qian Yuming to explain their involvement with Pu Jianyuan, then bargained with Ling Zhengyi over the magical artifacts that could awaken true spirit bloodlines. The chapter ended with Ling Zhengyi agreeing to Xiao Hua’s proposed exchange, but adding another condition.

• Zhan Yu and Qian Yuming told Xiao Hua how they had become involved with Pu Jianyuan after Xiao Hua pointed out that Pu Jianyuan’s death had voided their Heart Oath.
• Xiao Hua took the pills from Zhan Yu and Qian Yuming, accepted Qian Yuming’s mysterious jade pearl, and made Zhan Yu swear not to reveal what he had seen.
• Xiao Hua warned Zhan Yu and Qian Yuming not to trouble Ling Zhengyi again, and Ling Zhengyi took his jade pendant before escorting them away with Ling Feiyun.
• Xiangyang told Xiao Hua that he wanted to speak with him privately, while Ling Feiyun excitedly praised Xiao Hua for defeating a Foundation Establishment cultivator while at Qi Refining.
• Ling Zhengyi asked Xiao Hua to return Shadow Moon and Blazing Sun, offering Misty Mountain’s pills and spirit herbs in exchange.
• Xiao Hua offered to exchange the two artifacts and Pu Jianyuan’s belongings for Ling Zhengyi’s magical artifact and its sacrificial refinement method, and Ling Zhengyi agreed but raised one more condition.

Ling Zhengyi exchanged the Sun and Shadow Moon artifacts with Xiao Hua and asked him to lend one to Xue Xue if she needed it. Meanwhile, Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian mistook Xiao Hua for an impostor who had possessed his body, and the chapter ended with them unsure how to verify his identity.

• Ling Zhengyi gave Xiao Hua the true Sun and its refinement methods after Xiao Hua agreed to lend the artifact to Xue Xue if needed.
• Ling Zhengyi took Xue Xue aside while Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian sealed Xiao Hua in a quiet chamber.
• Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian accused Xiao Hua of possessing his junior brother's body after seeing his Phoenix Dharma Body and power.
• Xiao Hua endured their pressure, then demonstrated that he could still attack with the Town Cloud Seal, prompting them to withdraw it.
• Xiao Hua insisted he was genuine, and Yan Qinglian suggested his unchanged temperament supported his claim.
• Xiangyang asked Yan Qinglian what she thought as they struggled to decide whether Xiao Hua had truly been possessed.

Xiao Hua questioned Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian about possession before learning how cultivation stages determined lifespan limits. Xiangyang explained that damage to his Dao Foundation from guarding Myriad Thunder Valley had shortened his life, leaving Xiao Hua to understand why his senior brother’s lifespan was nearing its end.

• Yan Qinglian and Xiangyang discussed why Xiao Hua’s behavior and low cultivation made them believe he had not been possessed, and Xiao Hua asked questions about possession.
• Xiao Hua asked why Xiangyang’s lifespan was nearly over despite his recent breakthrough to mid Foundation Establishment.
• Xiangyang explained that lifespan limits increased at major cultivation breakthroughs and described the expected lifespans and cultivation times across the realms.
• Xiangyang revealed that thunder had damaged his Dao Foundation while he guarded Myriad Thunder Valley, causing his lifespan limit to draw near.

Xiao Hua and Xiangyang prepared to leave Misty Mountain after helping it survive a crisis, but Xiao Hua agreed to stay when he learned Xue Xue could not yet awaken her True Spirit bloodline. Xue Xue led them to the forbidden palace complex in Misty Mountain’s back mountain, where Xiangyang asked why the place was off-limits.

• Xiao Hua asked Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian not to reveal his cultivation to their master, and Xiangyang agreed.
• Xiangyang teased Xue Xue by suggesting Xiao Hua had been possessed, but Xue Xue insisted he was still himself.
• Xue Xue said her True Spirit bloodline could not be activated yet and hinted she would explain later.
• Ling Zhengyi gave Xiao Hua a storage bag of spirit stones as thanks, while Xue Xue and Ling Feiyun shared an emotional farewell.
• Xiao Hua proposed staying a few days to give Yan Qinglian something, and Xiangyang agreed.
• Xue Xue led Xiao Hua, Xiangyang, and Yan Qinglian to the back mountain’s forbidden palace complex, where Xiangyang asked why it was restricted.

Xiao Hua offered Yan Qinglian a secret cultivation opportunity and helped her begin refining it, while Xiangyang worried about Xiao Hua’s strength and his conflict with Cui Hongshen. Ling Feiyun sought Xiao Hua’s guidance, but Xiao Hua warned that his cultivation path likely would not suit him.

• Xiao Hua gave Yan Qinglian a jade slip and required a heart oath before offering her a secret opportunity.
• Yan Qinglian studied the cultivation art, sealed her senses, and began refining the cool energy Xiao Hua provided.
• Xiao Hua told Xiangyang that Cui Hongshen was no threat to him as long as Cui harbored no ill intentions.
• Xiao Hua received a communication talisman from Ling Feiyun and flew to Misty Mountain’s front mountain to meet him.
• Ling Feiyun asked how Xiao Hua had gained such strength, and Xiao Hua replied that his cultivation path likely would not suit him.

Xiao Hua advised Ling Feiyun to follow his own cultivation path, then agreed to help Misty Mountain awaken its disciples’ bloodlines. Ling Zhengyi gave Xiao Hua a Buddhist relic, and they entered the Ling family’s ancestral hall, which revealed itself as a large cave dwelling.

• Xiao Hua told Ling Feiyun that he had to steadily follow his own cultivation path, and Ling Zhengyi praised the advice as a principle for reaching Golden Core.
• Ling Zhengyi asked Xiao Hua to help Misty Mountain awaken its disciples’ true spirit bloodlines with two magical artifacts, and Xiao Hua agreed after Ling Feiyun pleaded.
• Ling Zhengyi gave Xiao Hua an unusual item from the family records, which he identified as a Buddhist relic, and Xiao Hua accepted it.
• Xiao Hua asked Ling Zhengyi about the artifacts’ use for Xue Xue, but Ling Zhengyi said he could not reveal the matter because of a heart oath.
• Ling Zhengyi led Xiao Hua to the Ling family’s ancestral hall, where the pavilions transformed to reveal a large cave dwelling.

Xiao Hua helped Ling Zhengyi awaken his bloodline by enduring Blazing Sun and Shadow Moon’s power, then asked to examine the Ling family records instead of receiving more payment. Ling Feiyun’s chance to awaken was left unresolved when Ling Zhengyi said he wanted to try it himself.

• Xiao Hua inspected Ling Zhengyi’s lavish cave abode and followed him and Ling Feiyun through a restriction to the family’s practice platform.
• Ling Zhengyi gave Ling Feiyun Blazing Sun and Shadow Moon and urged her to attack Xiao Hua, but she resisted, so Xiao Hua agreed to act again.
• Xiao Hua attacked Ling Zhengyi with the Leaf Sun Fan’s fire dragon while Ling Zhengyi used Blazing Sun and Shadow Moon, but the Phoenix Dharma Body blocked the artifact’s bloodline-awakening fluctuation from affecting Xiao Hua.
• The fluctuation awakened Ling Zhengyi’s Fire Ape Dharma Body, which grew sturdier as he circulated his spiritual power.
• Xiao Hua offered to help Ling Feiyun awaken her bloodline immediately, but Ling Zhengyi said he wanted to try it himself.

Xiao Hua awakened Ling Feiyun’s True Spirit Blood with his Phoenix Dharma Body, then entered the Ling family study pavilion to read its ancient records. He found a record of talismans resembling the Zhu family’s, suspected they might be connected to conflict between the Dao Sect and the Buddhist Sect, and also discovered a brief account of a Buddhist sarira.

• Xiao Hua used his Phoenix Dharma Body to awaken Ling Feiyun’s True Spirit Blood after Ling Zhengyi’s attempt with the Sunlight and Shadow Moon artifacts failed.
• Ling Zhengyi gave Xiao Hua a jade pendant allowing him to enter the Ling family study pavilion and read its ancient texts.
• Over the next twenty days, Xiao Hua studied Ling family records while Yan Qinglian refined Zhong Yaoru, and Xiangyang remained silent and distant.
• Xiao Hua found a Ling family record about talismans and compared it with the Zhu family’s booklet, wondering how talismans were inherited and whether Wutuodan could dissolve True Spirit Blood.
• Xiao Hua suspected the talismans might have been used by the Dao Sect against the Buddhist Sect, then found a brief record stating that a Ling family patriarch had obtained a Buddhist sarira of unknown purpose.

Xiao Hua and his companions left Misty Mountain after Yan Qinglian regained her youth, while Ling Zhengyi and Ling Feiyun set off for Flying Phoenix Ridge. As Xiao Hua discussed a Fire Ape and a rumored Thunder Beast with Xue Xue, Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian reacted with sudden, urgent excitement.

• Xiao Hua decided to visit the Buddhist Sect ruins after judging that his strength had grown enough to protect himself.
• Yan Qinglian emerged from seclusion looking much younger, and Xiao Hua explained that Zhong Yaoru had helped temper her body and could advance her Lightning Escape Technique.
• Xiao Hua, Xue Xue, Xiangyang, and Yan Qinglian departed Misty Mountain, while Ling Feiyun resolved to follow the Ling family's cultivation path and Ling Zhengyi headed with him toward Flying Phoenix Ridge.
• Xue Xue questioned Xiao Hua about his dealings with Qian Yuming and Zhan Yu and about why he had avoided trying to subdue the Fire Ape.
• Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian stopped in alarm when Xiao Hua revealed that Qian Yuming had reported signs of a possible Thunder Beast near the Fire Ape.

Xiao Hua told Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian that Zhan Yu had seen a Thunder Beast, giving them hope of restoring Xiangyang’s lifespan. As they prepared to seek it in Yanlin Mountain Marsh, Xiao Hua remembered Martial Ancestor Zhen Ye was also searching for the beast and offered him as a potential ally; Xiangyang began explaining why he needed the Inner Core intact.

• Xiao Hua said Zhan Yu had glimpsed a winged Thunder Beast in Yanlin Mountain Marsh, and Yan Qinglian decided they would go there instead of seeing the sea.
• Xiangyang revealed that a Thunder Beast’s Inner Core could restore his lifespan, while Xiao Hua and Xue Xue congratulated him and pledged to help.
• Xiangyang warned that the sixth-grade Thunder Beast had Golden Core Mid-stage strength and that cooperating with other hunters might not secure its Inner Core for him.
• Xiao Hua remembered that Martial Ancestor Zhen Ye had given him a jade slip asking him to search for something, and he realized Zhen Ye was seeking the Thunder Beast too.
• Yan Qinglian explained that pills made from the Thunder Beast’s Inner Core would not suit Xiangyang, so he began explaining what he needed.

Xiao Hua and his companions learned that Xiangyang needed Thunder Beast inner cores to repair his damaged Dao Foundation, so they sought Zhen Ye’s help and traveled toward Xihuang Town. They arrived to find Yanyuan City guards and Foundation Establishment cultivators monitoring the Teleportation Array.

• Xiangyang explained that Thunder Beast inner cores could repair his thunder-damaged Dao Foundation, and the group agreed to seek Zhen Ye’s support.
• Xiangyang sent a restricted jade slip to the Thunder Control Sect through Wu Ming, who warned that security near Xihuang Town had tightened after Mo Yuan’s strange death.
• Wu Ming revealed that stationed disciples concealed their Foundation Establishment cultivation, and Xiangyang’s group set off for Xihuang Town.
• Xiao Hua, Xiangyang, Yan Qinglian, and Xue Xue reached Xihuang Town and saw Yanyuan City guards and two mid Foundation Establishment cultivators watching the array.
• The two cultivators stepped toward the Teleportation Array and bowed as it flashed again.

Xiang Min, a Golden Core cultivator from the Five Elements Sect, arrived in Xihuang Town and alarmed Xiangyang’s group with his threatening, unpredictable behavior. Fearing Xiang Min might target them near Yanlin Mountain Marsh, Xiangyang led everyone to a remote mountain refuge to await news from Zhen Ye.

• Xiang Min arrived through the Teleportation Array and pressured its guards for information about other Golden Core cultivators.
• Xiangyang introduced himself and Xiao Hua’s group, and Xiang Min questioned why they had come to Xihuang Town before leaving.
• Xiangyang told Xiao Hua and the others that Xiang Min was known for his ruthless and erratic conduct, and they decided to avoid Yanlin Mountain Marsh for now.
• Xiangyang led the group to a remote stretch of bare mountains, where Xiao Hua and Xue Xue settled into a cave and activated the Rabbit Spirit Talisman.
• Xiao Hua and Xue Xue began cultivating while the group waited for news from Martial Ancestor Zhen Ye.

Xiao Hua tried to refine Misty Mountain’s inherited artifacts, but the process released a sealed fifth-grade Fire Ape spirit essence. After a dangerous fight, he left the spirit essence swallowed by his Phoenix Dharma Body.

• Xiao Hua offered the two inherited artifacts to Xue Xue, who explained that she could not refine them before Foundation Establishment and urged Xiao Hua to refine them instead.
• Xiao Hua refined the artifacts into Radiant Sun and Shadow Moon, and their merging revealed a sealed Fire Ape spirit essence.
• The Fire Ape spirit essence attacked Xiao Hua after he had exhausted most of his magical power refining the artifacts, and his Palm Thunder and Water Blue Bead failed to stop it.
• Xiao Hua’s Phoenix Dharma Body shielded Xue Xue and fought the spirit essence with its claws and a demonic hammer.
• When the Fire Ape spirit essence tried to flee toward Yanlin Mountain Marsh, Xiao Hua’s Phoenix Dharma Body drew it in with a wind pillar and swallowed it.

Xiao Hua successfully refined the Sun Moon Crown after its two halves released the complete Fire Ape spirit essence, but the resulting flood of information knocked him unconscious. He awoke with Xue Xue beside him, learned the artifact held a powerful restriction linked to her, and used it to sense toward Yanlin Mountain Marsh.

• The Phoenix Dharma Body absorbed and ground down the complete Fire Ape spirit essence, sending its remaining information into Xiao Hua and causing him to collapse.
• Suo Guang shielded Xiao Hua's mind and drew the torrent of information into itself while Xue Xue caught him.
• Xiao Hua woke in Xue Xue's arms and explained that combining the two artifacts had joined their halves of the Fire Ape spirit essence.
• Xiao Hua discovered the united Sun Moon Crown consisted of Radiant Sun and Shadow Moon and contained a powerful restriction connected to Xue Xue's soul imprint.
• Xue Xue let Xiao Hua keep the Sun Moon Crown, and he activated it to look toward Yanlin Mountain Marsh.

Xiao Hua and his companions fled after sensing the Fire Ape and Thunder Beast nearby, then discovered the slaughtered remains of cultivators who had encountered the beasts. Shaken by the danger, Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian decided to leave the hunt behind and travel to the sea together.

• Xiao Hua sensed the Fire Ape approaching and told Xiangyang and the others to flee, since he could not locate the Thunder Beast.
• Xiao Hua led the group back toward the outskirts of Yanlin Mountain Marsh, where they found dozens of cultivators brutally killed, their brains eaten and their belongings scattered.
• Xiao Hua cremated the remains and collected the scattered items while Xiangyang identified the dead, including Zhan Yu of the Yellow Flower Sect.
• Yan Qinglian questioned why the cultivators had gathered and how they had been caught, and Xiao Hua proposed that the beasts had surprised them near the marsh's outskirts.
• Xiangyang abandoned the plan to seek the Thunder Beast's Inner Core, and Yan Qinglian revealed she had researched Thunder Beast sightings in the Qiang He Sea so they could travel there together.

Xiangyang, Yan Qinglian, Xiao Hua, and Xue Xue confronted Yu Yuemiao and Chan Xingyan, who demanded their possessions for entering Yanlin Mountain Marsh. Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian fought back, and the battle continued with Chan Xingyan’s fire wall overwhelmed by Yan Qinglian’s lightning.

• Xiangyang decided to leave Yanlin Mountain Marsh for the Qiang He Sea, but Yu Yuemiao and Chan Xingyan found the group and demanded their pills, jade slips, and other belongings.
• Xiangyang refused to surrender their possessions and told Xiao Hua and Xue Xue to stand aside as he prepared to fight.
• Xiangyang revealed his spear artifact, Thunderstrike, and attacked Yu Yuemiao, who countered with a bowl-shaped artifact that formed a radiant shield and icy spikes.
• Xiangyang dodged Yu Yuemiao’s ice spikes while Yan Qinglian fought Chan Xingyan with a lightning-bearing horsetail whisk.
• Yan Qinglian unleashed a storm of lightning bolts that destroyed Chan Xingyan’s wall of flame.

Xiao Hua helped Yan Qinglian and Xiangyang defeat Yu Yuemiao and corner Chan Xingyan. The chapter left Chan Xingyan trapped beneath Xiao Hua’s Town Cloud Seal after his Flowing Fire was subdued.

• Yan Qinglian used concealed lightning from her whisk to wound Chan Xingyan, who retaliated with Flowing Fire as she evaded him.
• Yu Yuemiao overwhelmed Xiangyang and drove him toward Xiao Hua, who lured Yu Yuemiao close with Fireball Talismans.
• Xiao Hua broke Yu Yuemiao’s water-light shield with the demonic spear shaft and killed him with Slay Dream.
• Yan Qinglian pursued Chan Xingyan as he fled, and Xiao Hua intercepted him and crushed his communication talisman.
• Xiao Hua summoned his Phoenix Dharma Body and Town Cloud Seal, whose cloud smothered Chan Xingyan’s Flowing Fire.

Xiao Hua and his companions escaped after he killed Yu Yuemiao and Chan Xingyan, then tricked Xiang Min into searching elsewhere by turning back toward the place they claimed to have come from. As they neared Xihuang Town, Xiang Min caught up with them again and ordered them to stop.

• Xiao Hua killed Chan Xingyan with Zhumen, then gathered the dead cultivators' belongings and destroyed their corpses while his companions fled.
• Xiao Hua sensed Xiang Min approaching and ordered the group to turn back, then used a Flight Talisman to disguise their direction.
• Xiangyang told Xiang Min they had come from Xihuang Town and had seen no cultivators, so she flew off in another direction.
• Xiao Hua persuaded the others to return to Xihuang Town, and they pretended to travel at their earlier pace.
• Xiang Min's divine sense caught up with the group near Xihuang Town, and she ordered them to stop.

Xiang Min confined Xiao Hua and the others while investigating his missing disciples, but left when a distant divine sense drew his attention. Martial Ancestor Zhen Ye arrived, freed them, and confronted Xiang Min before he departed to search for the killer.

• Xiang Min questioned Xiangyang about his two missing disciples, then bound Xiangyang, Yan Qinglian, Xiao Hua, and Xue Xue despite Xiangyang's denial.
• Xiao Hua prepared to fight as a distant divine sense distracted Xiang Min, who flew off while leaving the four confined.
• Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian recognized the distant lightning as likely belonging to Martial Uncle Zhen Ye, while Xiao Hua and Xue Xue exchanged jokes on the ground.
• Xiao Hua realized that his name might be Xiaohua, then changed the subject by speculating that a Golden Core cultivator had killed Xiang Min's disciples.
• Xiang Min returned and threatened the four, but Zhen Ye arrived, broke the confinement, and mocked Xiang Min while scolding his own disciples.
• Xiang Min left to search for the killer, and Zhen Ye said he would consider Xiang Min's proposal.