Recaps

Xue Xue agreed to accompany the Qiang sisters to the Tianmen Mountain Huang Family, where a descendant of Little Cabbage had fallen into an unexplained sleep. After Xiao Hua and the sisters traveled for more than ten days, they reached the area around Tianmen Mountain and awaited Qiang Lihao and the others.

• Qiang Xuemei and Qiang Yulian told Xue Xue about the Huang Family’s sleeping relative and its offer of an inherited magical artifact, and Xue Xue agreed to visit with Xiao Hua.
• Qiang Lihao returned after settling Cold River Tower’s affairs, and Xiao Hua gave him flying talismans and sent him back with Qiang Limin, Han Yi, and Madam Liu.
• Xiao Hua, Xue Xue, Qiang Xuemei, and Qiang Yulian flew south toward Tianmen Mountain while Xiao Hua practiced comprehending spells and sword formations along the way.
• The group reached the bounds of Tianmen Mountain, and Qiang Yulian said Qiang Lihao and the others should arrive that day.

Xiao Hua accepted Moyun Village’s invitation, rewarded the Qiang siblings, and offered to teach them talisman refinement before leading the group to Tianmen Mountain. They arrived at the Huang Family’s beautiful mountain home, where Xiao Hua and Xue Xue prepared to visit.

• Qiang Lihao and Qiang Limin caught up with Xiao Hua and offered him an honored-guest token from Moyun Village, which he accepted.
• Qiang Lihao told Xiao Hua that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had been assigned to guide Han Yi’s cultivation.
• Xiao Hua gave the Qiang siblings Fireball Talismans he had refined and offered to teach them his talisman-making methods.
• Xiao Hua handed Xue Xue booklets on Fireball and Ice Thorn Talismans, and she asked Qiang Xuemei to copy the methods for the group.
• Xiao Hua led the group to Tianmen Mountain, where they arrived after half a day and admired the Huang Family’s scenic grounds.

Xiao Hua arrived at Tianmen Mountain with Qiang Lihao and met Huang Tianle and Huang Tianming, the declining Huang Family’s elders. As Huang Tianming showed him around, he explained that the family hoped someone could uncover why their gifted young descendant Huang Mengxiang kept fainting during cultivation.

• Huang Tianle questioned why Qiang Lihao had come seeking the magic artifact, and Xiao Hua offered to examine the Huang Family’s problem.
• Huang Tianle asked Huang Tianming to guide Xiao Hua around Tianmen Mountain while the others looked around.
• Huang Tianming told Xiao Hua that the Huang Family had declined for generations, though Huang Mengxiang had recently emerged as a brilliant young cultivator.
• Huang Tianming explained that Huang Mengxiang had fainted in his cultivation chamber last spring despite showing no abnormalities, and the family had offered a magic artifact as a reward.
• Xiao Hua asked why the Huang Family had not sought help from a Golden Core cultivator, and Huang Tianming said past offenses and the cost of such help made that impossible.

Xiao Hua and his companions arrived at the Huang Family’s Vermilion Bird Hall to attend a feast for cultivators seeking to treat Xiang’er. After Xue Xue’s question about Little Cabbage angered Huang Tianming, Xiao Hua entered the hall and encountered the wary gathering of sect and clan cultivators.

• Huang Tianming told Xiao Hua that no one had found a way to awaken Xiang’er and invited him to the Huang Family’s final gathering for visitors.
• Xue Xue asked whether Little Cabbage had been from the Tianmen Mountain Huang Family, and Huang Tianming angrily dismissed the question as an insult.
• Huang Tianming escorted Xiao Hua and his companions to Vermilion Bird Hall, then left them with a gate disciple.
• Xiao Hua admired the hall’s vermilion-bird decorations and joined the feast, where Huang Tianle introduced him as a guest elder of Moyun Village.
• Yue Chan questioned Xiao Hua about his background, then proudly identified the prominent cultivators gathered around Huang Tianle.

Xiao Hua learned that the Tianmen Mountain Huang Family had once controlled a fire-nature spirit stone vein, explaining its former wealth and the quality of its magic artifacts. Huang Tianle then addressed the gathered cultivators, thanking them for coming and asking for help with his granddaughter Xiang'er's illness.

• Xiao Hua asked Yue Chan why the Huang Family's artifact had drawn so many cultivators and learned that Yue Chan knew its history.
• Yue Chan explained that the Huang Family had flourished by controlling a fire-nature spirit stone vein tens of thousands of years earlier.
• Xiao Hua realized that the Huang Family's former wealth could account for its valuable magic artifacts.
• Huang Tianming stood and apologized to the gathering for the Huang Family's recent neglect.
• Huang Tianle said he had invited Xi Kingdom's experts to seek a cure for Xiang'er and would be grateful whether or not they found one.

At the Huang Family gathering on Tianmen Mountain, Shang Qinghe of Haoming City arrived and used his city guards to kill Liu Fan after Liu tried to leave. Huang Tianle tolerated the killing but challenged Shang to wait while he finished his toast, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Huang Tianle toasted the gathered cultivators and lamented the strange affair that had befallen the cultivation families and sects.
• Shang Qinghe entered Vermilion Bird Hall with two city guards and demanded Liu Fan's seat, prompting Liu to prepare to leave.
• Shang Qinghe signaled his guards, who attacked Liu Fan in coordination and severed his head.
• Huang Tianle protested Liu Fan's killing, but Shang blamed his guards, who refused to surrender their city tokens.
• Huang Tianle said he would explain the matter to the Chanxi Liu Family, then returned to his seat as the Huang Family cleared Liu Fan's corpse.
• Shang Qinghe toasted Huang Tianle, and Huang told him to wait until he had finished offering his third cup.

At Tianmen Mountain, Shang Qinghe demanded the Vermilion Bird Ring in exchange for treating Huang Mengxiang, while Huang Tianle denied that the Huang Family still possessed it. Xiao Hua realized Shang Qinghe had likely caused Huang Mengxiang’s illness, and Shang demanded Huang Tianle swear a blood oath to prove the ring was lost.

• Huang Tianle pressed Shang Qinghe to clarify whether he had come on Haoming City’s behalf, and Shang remained seated, claiming he was acting independently.
• Shang Qinghe insisted on examining Huang Mengxiang first, while the other cultivators urged Huang Tianle to hear his conditions.
• Shang Qinghe said he would not treat Huang Mengxiang for the offered magic artifact and demanded the Huang Family’s Vermilion Bird Ring instead.
• Huang Tianle said the ancestral ring had long been lost, but Shang Qinghe claimed he knew it was still with the Huang Family and demanded a blood oath.

Huang Tianle activated Tianmen Mountain’s Vermilion Bird Blazing Fire Formation when Shang Qinghe demanded the Vermilion Bird Ring and threatened the people in Vermilion Bird Hall. The formation killed Shang Qinghe and two city guards, leaving Huang Tianle’s guests stunned and the question of Haoming City’s response unresolved.

• Shang Qinghe refused to leave without the Vermilion Bird Ring and threatened the cultivators gathered in Vermilion Bird Hall.
• Huang Tianle sealed the hall and summoned the Vermilion Bird Blazing Fire Formation, while Shang Qinghe claimed the formation was only an empty shell.
• Huang Tianle used his Vermilion Bird Dharma Body to empower the flaming Vermilion Bird and send it at Shang Qinghe.
• The Vermilion Bird burned Shang Qinghe and two early Foundation Establishment city guards to ashes before vanishing into the ceiling.
• Huang Tianle told the assembled cultivators that Shang Qinghe had come with evil intentions, and they marveled at the formation’s power.

After Huang Tianle trapped Shang Qinghe, he revealed his unconscious son Huang Mengxiang and offered the magical artifact Sparrow Drink to anyone who could wake him. Su Mingyu examined Huang Mengxiang but found no abnormality, and Xie Yugai stepped forward with another artifact to try.

• Huang Tianle said the Vermilion Bird Great Formation could not yet be opened because activating it had consumed much of his spiritual power, and the guests accepted his explanation.
• Huang Tianle raised a third cup of wine, then had his disciples remove a restriction that concealed Huang Yun, Yang Yu, and the sleeping Huang Mengxiang.
• Huang Tianle explained that each cultivator could examine Huang Mengxiang for the time it took to drink a cup of tea and offered Sparrow Drink to whoever awakened him.
• Su Mingyu examined Huang Mengxiang with divine sense and true essence but found no abnormality, while Yang Yu explained that he had slept for over a year and his cultivation had declined.
• Xie Yugai offered Jingqi Peak's magical artifact Rain Dew and prepared to examine Huang Mengxiang.

Cultivators failed to awaken Huang Mengxiang until Zheng Zehao used his Bee Rogue to discover a Dream Mirage Butterfly larval egg inside her. He claimed he could remove it only by interfering with her primordial yin, leaving Huang Tianle and Mengxiang’s parents to weigh the dangerous personal cost and consult with the Zheng Family.

• Xie Yugai and the other cultivators tried various remedies, but none awakened Huang Mengxiang.
• Zheng Zehao introduced his Bee Rogue, which entered Huang Mengxiang’s nose and let him sense the cause of her coma.
• Zheng Zehao announced that a Dream Mirage Butterfly larval egg had trapped Huang Mengxiang in a dream realm.
• Zheng Zehao said he could remove the egg with an ancient, incomplete method that required interfering with Huang Mengxiang’s primordial yin.
• Huang Tianle asked Huang Yun and Yang Yu for their judgment, and Huang Yun said they could not proceed without careful consideration and the Zheng Family’s agreement.

After the other cultivators failed to treat Huang Mengxiang, Xiao Hua offered to try, despite being mocked and doubted by the assembled guests. He approached her jade bed, where her appearance stirred a memory, and the chapter ended before he began treating her.

• Huang Tianle let the remaining cultivators examine Huang Mengxiang, but none could offer a treatment for the Dream Mirage Butterfly larvae.
• Xiao Hua volunteered to try, then sat back down after Huang Tianle's remark about Moyun Village and Xie Yugai's contemptuous comments.
• Huang Yun pleaded with Xiao Hua to help her daughter, and he agreed, mentioning the Sparrow Drink magic tool as a reward.
• Xue Xue warned Xiao Hua that the Dream Mirage Butterfly was dangerous, but he reassured her that he knew his limits.
• Xiao Hua reached Huang Mengxiang's jade bed, and her face brought another scene to his mind.

Xiao Hua discovered an insect egg hidden in Huang Mengxiang’s Niwan Palace, but when he examined it with divine sense, it trapped him in a vivid vision of his past and Fairy Hongxia. He escaped and realized Zheng Zehao had used the moment to fall into a blissful dream of his own.

• Xiao Hua used the Eye of Delusion Breaking and found a tiny spirit locust inside Huang Mengxiang’s Niwan Palace, despite the other cultivators doubting his diagnosis.
• Zheng Zehao proposed that Xiao Hua examine Huang Mengxiang first, then waited with his spirit storage pouch in hand.
• Xiao Hua’s divine sense touched the insect egg and pulled him into a vision where he met a girl who reminded him of Fairy Hongxia and offered him a pair of flower hairpins.
• Huang Mengxiang appeared in the vision, mistook Xiao Hua for her husband, and clung to him as his Spirit Guiding Technique suddenly activated.
• Xiao Hua broke free of the vision and withdrew his divine sense, then saw Zheng Zehao standing beside him with his eyes closed and a delighted expression.

Xiao Hua exposed Zheng Zehao as the one who had harmed Huang Mengxiang, and Huang Tianle allowed Xiao Hua to treat her in exchange for Sparrow Drink. Xiao Hua sealed off the jade bed and began using the newly awakened Eye of Delusion Breaking to remove the speck in Huang Mengxiang’s Niwan Palace.

• Xiao Hua took Zheng Zehao’s storage pouch and storage bag after finding him trapped by his own technique’s backlash.
• Xiao Hua told Huang Tianle that Zheng Zehao had secretly harmed Huang Mengxiang, while Xie Yugai and the others questioned his account and surrounded him.
• Huang Yun persuaded Huang Tianle to let Xiao Hua treat Huang Mengxiang in exchange for Sparrow Drink, and Huang Tianle agreed.
• Xiao Hua entered the restriction around the jade bed, arranged spirit talismans to form a Rabbit Formation, and blocked outside observation.
• Xiao Hua focused the Eye of Delusion Breaking on the speck in Huang Mengxiang’s Niwan Palace and tried to take it.

Xiao Hua used his Dharma Eye to draw a speck from Huang Mengxiang’s dream and awaken her from a year-long illusion in the Vermilion Bird Hall. Huang Mengxiang reunited with her family, while Huang Tianle prepared to fulfill his promise to Xiao Hua.

• Xiao Hua activated his Dharma Eye with soul cultivation and pulled the dream-borne speck from Huang Mengxiang into his space.
• Huang Mengxiang awoke believing Xiao Hua was her husband, and Xiao Hua explained that her life with him and her Nascent Soul cultivation had been a dream.
• Huang Mengxiang accepted that she was still at the ninth layer of Qi Cultivation, though Xiao Hua encouraged her with the possibility that her dream insights could aid her future cultivation.
• Xiao Hua removed the Rabbit Formation, and Huang Mengxiang reunited joyfully with Yang Yu, Huang Yun, and Huang Tianle.
• Huang Tianle gave Xiao Hua Sparrow Drink and took out a pale-red jade slip to fulfill his promise.

Xiao Hua exposed Zheng Zehao’s plot, helped save Huang Mengxiang, and gave Sparrow Drink to Qiang Xuemei. As Huang Tianle tried to open the Vermilion Bird Hall formation, it failed to respond, leaving everyone trapped inside and uneasy.

• Huang Tianle thanked Xiao Hua for awakening Huang Mengxiang and vowed to question the Dengming Mountain Zheng Family about Zheng Zehao’s actions.
• Xiao Hua gave Sparrow Drink and its jade slip to Qiang Xuemei, whose fire-aspected constitution suited the artifact.
• Huang Tianle toasted Xiao Hua for exposing Zheng Zehao and protecting Huang Mengxiang, then attempted to release everyone from Vermilion Bird Hall.
• The Vermilion Bird Blazing Fire Formation grew more intense when Huang Tianle tried to open it, and he admitted that he could not release the guests.
• Xiao Hua urged Qiang Lihao and the others to remain calm, while Yue Chan asked him to help if further trouble arose.

Xiao Hua realized the banquet wine had carried Nine-Headed Dove poison, and Huang Tianming revealed that he had poisoned the guests to advance his plans against the Huang Family. The poisoned cultivators remained trapped in Vermilion Bird Hall, with Huang Tianming promising an antidote would arrive soon.

• Several cultivators collapsed from Nine-Headed Dove poison, and Huang Tianle discovered that he and most guests had been poisoned.
• Xiao Hua showed that his untouched spirit wine was unpoisoned and demanded an explanation and a cure for Xue Xue.
• Su Mingyu and Xie Yugai suspected Xiao Hua, but Xue Xue calmed him and he searched his storage for a way to treat the poison.
• The cultivators suspected Huang Tianming had poisoned the wine, and Huang Tianming admitted that he had done it.
• Huang Tianming revealed that he had also arranged Huang Mengxiang's situation and sought to eliminate Zheng Zehao, then blamed Xiao Hua for ruining his plans and said an antidote would arrive soon.

Huang Tianle exposed the man posing as Huang Tianming as Huang Jingming, who revealed his plan to destroy the Tianmen Mountain Huang Family and everyone trapped with them. As Xiao Hua searched desperately for a way to save the others, Huang Tianle explained why he had trusted the real Tianming and never suspected him.

• Huang Jingming admitted he had impersonated Huang Tianming and attacked Huang Tianle’s younger brother ten years earlier.
• Huang Jingming declared that he intended to annihilate the Huang Family and kill the other cultivators caught in the formation.
• Xiao Hua found no antidote in his jade slips while nearby cultivators screamed from the poison, and Xue Xue tried to comfort him.
• Huang Tianle explained that the real Huang Tianming had once refused to inherit Tianmen Mountain out of loyalty to his elder brother.
• Huang Tianle said he had never suspected Tianming because Tianmen Mountain would eventually pass to Huang Yun, Tianming’s own line.

Xiao Hua found Myriad Poisons Sect antidote pills that eased the Nine-Headed Dove poison, then proposed using Green Python venom to counter the remaining poison. Huang Tianle offered to test the venom, but Xie Yugai demanded that Xiao Hua share it with the other cultivators.

• Lan Jingming revealed that he was the last surviving descendant of the Fanxi Lan family, whose spirit stone mine the Huang family had seized, and refused to spare the poisoned cultivators.
• Xiao Hua gave Xue Xue Myriad Poisons Sect antidote pills, which kept her safe, and had her share the remaining pills with Qiang Xuemei and Qiang Yulian.
• Xiao Hua found a possible way to fight the Nine-Headed Dove poison with poison and gave Huang Tianle a bottle of Green Python venom.
• Huang Tianle volunteered to test the venom and promised to detoxify the Moyun Village disciples if it worked.
• Xie Yugai tried to take the bottle, but Xiao Hua stopped him, and Xie demanded that Xiao Hua share the antidote method with the other cultivators.

Xiao Hua and Huang Tianle used Mu Du’s secret method to counter the Nine-Headed Dove poison with Green Python venom, proving the cure worked. Xiao Hua then revealed that only enough venom remained to save about six people, leaving the poisoned cultivators to contend for the scarce supply.

• Xiao Hua warned the cultivators not to covet the Green Python venom, while Huang Tianle announced that it could be used against the poison.
• Mu Du offered Huang Tianle an ancient secret method for using poison to counter poison in exchange for being cured.
• Huang Tianle used eight portions of Green Python venom to eliminate most of the poison in his body, then Mu Du used seven portions to cure himself.
• Xiao Hua read Mu Du’s secret method and offered to make a deal with him after Huang Tianle credited Xiao Hua for the venom.
• Xiao Hua told the crowd that only enough Green Python venom remained to save at most six people, provoking Xie Yugai’s protest.

Xiao Hua began curing the poisoned cultivators, demanding payment while prioritizing the weaker disciples. Lan Jingming seized control of the Vermilion Bird Great Formation using Huang Tianming’s body and bloodline, forcing Xiao Hua and the others to face him as the chapter ended.

• Xiao Hua took the jade bottle and told Xie Yugai and the others to seek Lan Jingming for the antidote, while offering to cure them in exchange for their sincerity.
• Xiao Hua and Mu Du cured Qiang Lihao, Qiang Limin, Qiang Liqiang, Yue Chan, and other poisoned cultivators, accepting spirit stones and talismans as payment.
• Lan Jingming activated the Vermilion Bird Great Formation, and Huang Tianle realized he had used Huang Tianming’s bloodline and obtained the Vermilion Bird Ring.
• Lan Jingming appeared atop the Vermilion Bird Fire Ape and threatened to sacrifice Huang Tianming’s blood essence to kill everyone in the hall.
• Huang Mengxiang urged the cultivators to fight alongside Xiao Hua, and Liao Yipu Jingli, Zhu Feng, Su Mingyu, and others flew toward him despite the formation’s pressure.

Xiao Hua killed Lan Jingming during the battle in Vermilion Bird Hall, then took the Vermilion Bird Ring and told the assembled cultivators to prepare payment for detoxification. The chapter ended with everyone silently lining up for Xiao Hua’s help.

• Lan Jingming attacked Xiao Hua with the Vermilion Bird Ring and summoned his Vermilion Bird Dharma Body.
• Xiao Hua used the Leaf Sun Fan to break through the fire ring and sent Slay Dream’s sixteen sword lights toward Lan Jingming.
• Lan Jingming entered the Vermilion Bird flames, unleashing a crushing heat and pressure that left Xiao Hua unable to resist.
• Lan Jingming screamed and died as Slay Dream pierced him, causing the Vermilion Bird flames and pressure to recede.
• Xiao Hua collected the Vermilion Bird Ring and ordered the cultivators to prepare spirit stones and other items for detoxification.

Xiao Hua cured the poisoned guests and Huang Tianle opened Vermilion Bird Hall, but the guests who tried to leave suddenly collapsed and died. As a mysterious thunderstorm surrounded the hall, Huang Tianle searched for an explanation.

• Huang Mengxiang asked Xiao Hua to let the Huang family recover Lan Jingming's remains, and Xiao Hua gave permission to search them for an antidote.
• Xiao Hua cured the remaining guests, gave his storage bags to Qiang Lihao, and urged Huang Tianle to open Vermilion Bird Hall.
• Su Mingyu and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators left through the open gates, but they collapsed outside, along with several Qi Refining disciples.
• Zhao Fanling tried to cross a gate after pleading with an unseen senior, but she lost her life as soon as she passed through.
• Xiao Hua sensed something unusual in the thunder, while Huang Tianle denied knowing what was happening and went to check on the disciples outside.

Xiao Hua tried to protect those around him as an unseen force killed cultivators inside and around the Vermilion Bird Hall. As the danger spread, he urged Huang Tianle to negotiate with the powerful presence outside, hoping they might escape alive.

• Huang Tianle learned that divine sense could not reach beyond the Vermilion Bird Hall and went with Huang Mengxiang, Huang Yun, and Yang Yu to inspect the deaths.
• Xiao Hua reassured the frightened Qiang family members and wondered why Xue Xue remained unusually composed despite the danger.
• Cultivators near the hall doors collapsed without warning, and people who tried to flee through the air fell back down.
• Xiao Hua formed a Rabbit Formation to protect Xue Xue and the others, then allowed Yue Chan and his disciples to shelter inside it.
• Xiao Hua told Huang Tianle that the sects of the dead cultivators would seek answers and urged him to speak with the senior outside the hall.

Invisible ghosts attacked the cultivators trapped in Vermilion Bird Hall, and Xiao Hua struggled to protect them with Samadhi True Fire. After opening his Eye of Delusion Breaking, he saw that ghosts were flooding the hall to escape the lightning outside, and someone offered to help him.

• Huang Tianle admitted that he knew of no enemy powerful enough to explain the attacks, while Huang Mengxiang questioned why such an enemy would sneak around.
• More cultivators died as the ghosts moved through Vermilion Bird Hall, and Xiao Hua used Samadhi True Fire to reveal and burn one of them.
• Huang Mengxiang calmed the panicked cultivators and told them to spread out, sit down, and use fire talismans to defend themselves.
• Xiao Hua discovered that one burning ghost could move rapidly and set nearby cultivators ablaze, so he extinguished the flames on them.
• Xiao Hua opened his Eye of Delusion Breaking and saw the ghosts filling the hall; he recalled Lan Jingming's words about the Ghost Festival and suspected the ghosts had entered to escape the lightning outside.
• Xiao Hua continued burning ghosts and rescuing affected cultivators until an unidentified voice offered to help him.

Xiao Hua protected the cultivators in Vermilion Bird Hall from the ghosts and discovered that a disguised cultivator was controlling them. The mastermind revealed that he had intended to let Lan Jingming destroy the Huang Family before killing him, then demanded to know how Xiao Hua had uncovered his disguise.

• Huang Mengxiang helped Xiao Hua extinguish Samadhi True Fire on the endangered cultivators as Xiao Hua fought the ghosts in Vermilion Bird Hall.
• Xiao Hua spread a fire wall infused with Samadhi True Fire around the hall to ignite ghosts entering through its doors.
• Xiao Hua spotted a short cultivator whose body glowed faint green and attacked him with Samadhi True Fire.
• The cultivator dodged the flames, rose into the air, and admitted he had been exposed; Xiao Hua identified himself as a Thunder Control Sect disciple.
• The mastermind said he had planned to let Lan Jingming exterminate the Huang Family before killing him, then refused to explain his grudge until Xiao Hua revealed how he had seen through the disguise.
• Xiao Hua said he had suspected the cultivator because everyone else had paid him for detoxification, while the mastermind had given him nothing.