Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua studied the Sword Transformation Sword Art, formed his own understanding of sword intent and sword hearts, and imprinted his Primordial Spirit onto a second Sword Pellet, naming the new flying sword Mountain Splitting. His cultivation was interrupted when a Thunder Control Sect disciple reported that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had come to visit him.

• Xiao Hua’s soul cultivation advanced as Little White Dragon’s soul solidified and grew stronger.
• Xiao Hua examined the damaged Sword Transformation Sword Art and other sword jade slips, puzzling over how sword intent, sword spirits, and sword hearts worked.
• Xiao Hua reasoned that a swordsman joined his soul with a sword spirit to form a single sword heart, then resolved to trust the intentions of Li Xiubai and True Person Mingjian.
• Xiao Hua brought out Dream Slayer and the second Sword Pellet, imprinted his Primordial Spirit onto the pellet, and named the resulting flying sword Mountain Splitting.
• A Thunder Control Sect disciple informed Xiao Hua that a Foundation Establishment senior had come to visit him.

Xiao Hua met Bai Fengliang, who had joined the Heavenly Demon Sect and came to deliver pills under the mistaken belief that Xiao Hua was its Vice Sect Master. Xiao Hua corrected the misunderstanding and pressed Bai Fengliang to explain the Sacred Sect and fulfill his earlier promise, leaving Bai Fengliang afraid to answer.

• Xiao Hua was surprised to find Bai Fengliang, now a Foundation Establishment cultivator, waiting to meet him.
• Bai Fengliang invited Xiao Hua to an inn, where he knelt and addressed him as the Heavenly Demon Sect's Vice Sect Master.
• Bai Fengliang explained that he had joined the Pure Lotus Sect, one of the Thirteen Sects of the Sacred Sect, and had been sent to pay respects to Xiao Hua.
• Bai Fengliang handed Xiao Hua a storage bag containing over sixty Qianli Pills and said more pills would be collected from other cities.
• Xiao Hua realized Bai Fengliang had mistaken his name in the sect master's message for the identity of the Vice Sect Master and corrected him.
• Xiao Hua asked Bai Fengliang about the Sacred Sect and reminded him of his promise, leaving Bai Fengliang anxious about how to respond.

Xiao Hua questioned Bai Fengliang about the Sacred Sect, gave him cultivation techniques and medicinal pills, and warned him to keep their connection secret. After receiving a communication talisman, Xiao Hua went to Xuntian City's gate, where Li Zongbao and Xiao Mao prepared to leave with him to hunt Qin Jian.

• Bai Fengliang told Xiao Hua the names of the Sacred Sect's Thirteen Sects, said Liu Weigang led the Pure Lotus Sect, and shared a rumor that the Heavenly Demon Sect would soon establish itself openly.
• Xiao Hua gave Bai Fengliang a jade slip with cultivation techniques and a storage bag of medicinal pills, then warned him that revealing the jade slip could cost him his life.
• Xiao Hua gave Bai Fengliang a communication talisman and left the inn, reflecting that Zhang Qingxiao planned to reveal the Heavenly Demon Sect amid the chaos of the Sword Dao Battle.
• After receiving a communication talisman, Xiao Hua headed for Xuntian City's gate and found cultivators being inspected as they left.
• Li Zongbao and Xiao Mao met Xiao Hua at the gate and said they were leaving to kill Qin Jian; Li Zongbao used the Council Hall's special permit to move to the front of the queue.

Li Zongbao confronted Xiao Hua about Tu Hong’s assassination while the three cultivators traveled away from Xuntian City. Xiao Hua denied involvement, but Li Zongbao revealed how he had connected Xiao Hua to the killing and tried to trick him with a claim about Zhuo Xia’s secret technique.

• Xiao Hua used Li Zongbao’s Council Hall permit to get past the guards leaving Xuntian City, and the three departed on the Flowing Cloud Flying Boat.
• Li Zongbao sent Xiao Hua a voice transmission accusing him of killing Tu Hong and explained why he believed Xiao Hua had acted to save Dui Qimeng from Tu Hong’s scheme.
• Xiao Hua denied knowing Tu Hong’s plans for Dui Qimeng and insisted he had no reason to avenge Cui Hongshen.
• Li Zongbao linked the assassin to Xiao Hua through Zhuo Xia’s secret technique, but Xiao Hua realized Li Zongbao was trying to deceive him and jokingly teased him about Zhuo Xia.

Li Zongbao confronted Xiao Hua with the suspicions surrounding Tu Hong’s death and explained why Xiao Hua was in danger from Snowy Realm True Person and Xuntian City’s political schemes. He warned Xiao Hua never to return to Xuntian City, then asked him to accompany him to Lu Yang after the war.

• Li Zongbao questioned Xiao Hua about his strength, his transformation into Qin Jian, and the sixty-four flying swords used to kill Tu Hong, while Xiao Hua denied the accusations.
• Li Zongbao revealed that his master, Heng Ming, and other Golden Core cultivators suspected Xiao Hua’s cultivation was far greater than he claimed, and that Snowy Realm True Person had noticed Xiao Hua’s demonic movement technique.
• Li Zongbao explained that Snowy Realm True Person could seize Xiao Hua once he learned from Tu Hong’s jade slip that Xiao Hua could threaten him, and that Xiao Hua’s sect and Yanxi Mansion might not protect him.
• Li Zongbao told Xiao Hua that the Golden Core cultivators had concealed Cui Hongshen’s return and allowed Gan Mo to proceed with Dui Qimeng’s marriage to Tu Hong, then warned Xiao Hua never to return to Xuntian City.
• Li Zongbao said his cultivation was about to advance and asked Xiao Hua to accompany him to Lu Yang after the great war.

Xiao Hua learned that Li Zongbao’s Mirror of Parting Emotions was making him increasingly cold, then told him about the Xuntian Tea House’s trafficking in cultivators’ remains and asked him to inspect a damaged thunder boat. As their flying boat crossed the stormy skies, Li Zongbao rushed to aid Dao Sect disciples fighting Bright Sword cultivators, and Xiao Hua followed when he recognized members of the Joyful Sect and Thunder Control Sect among them.

• Li Zongbao told Xiao Hua that Zhuo Xia was the one person he could never let go of, and Xiao Hua worried that his hidden sword cultivator strength and role in Tu Hong’s death could be exposed.
• Xiao Hua asked Xiao Mao about Li Zongbao’s cultivation technique and learned that the Joyful Sect’s Mirror of Parting Emotions was said to sever passions and desires.
• Xiao Hua showed Li Zongbao the remains of Thunder Control Sect disciples and a damaged thunder boat, then described how cultivators at the Xuntian Tea House had traded in the remains.
• Li Zongbao condemned the trafficking and said he would investigate it and report the matter to the Council Hall, then explained that the thunder boat’s destroyed Thunder Pool made it useless.
• After weeks of sleet, Li Zongbao spotted a battle between Dao Sect disciples and Bright Sword disciples and rushed to help, while Xiao Hua followed after recognizing Joyful Sect and Thunder Control Sect cultivators among the Dao Sect group.

Li Zongbao and Xiao Hua joined the battle against the Bright Sword Swordsmen, and their fierce attacks turned the tide for the Joyful Sect and Thunder Control Sect disciples. The surviving sword cultivators faced defeat as Li Zongbao continued killing, while Xiao Hua questioned his path.

• Li Zongbao charged into the battle and struck more than twenty Bright Sword Swordsmen with the Immortal-Piercing Whip, breaking several flying swords but suffering injuries himself.
• Li Zongbao challenged Xiao Hua to kill ten swordsmen each, and Xiao Hua attacked with the Leaf Sun Fan, a devilish staff, and lightning techniques.
• Xiao Hua killed five Bright Sword Swordsmen in quick succession, inspiring the Thunder Control Sect disciples to push back their opponents.
• Li Zongbao killed four more swordsmen and grew increasingly absorbed in killing, while Xiao Mao praised his cultivation path.
• Xiao Hua objected to Li Zongbao's bloodthirsty approach as the battle continued in the sects' favor.

Xiao Hua and Li Zongbao helped defeat the sword cultivators pursuing Thunder Control Sect and Joyful Sect disciples, then divided the spoils fairly. After learning that both Seven Absolute Ridge and Flowing Ice Valley needed aid, Xiao Hua chose to go to Seven Absolute Ridge while Li Zongbao took Xiao Mao to Flowing Ice Valley.

• Li Zongbao used the Immortal-Piercing Whip to kill the remaining sword cultivators, and Xiao Hua and the other cultivators finished off the survivors.
• Xiao Hua introduced himself to the Thunder Control Sect disciples, who asked Kun Peng to gather the sword cultivators’ storage bags.
• Xiao Hua had the storage bags divided between the Thunder Control Sect and Joyful Sect disciples, then gave his share to his companions and reserved a share for Xiao Mao.
• Kun Peng told Xiao Hua that Thunder Control Sect disciples at Seven Absolute Ridge needed reinforcements after an ambush by sword and beast cultivators.
• Li Zongbao asked Xiao Hua to accompany him to Flowing Ice Valley, but Xiao Hua chose Seven Absolute Ridge, so Li Zongbao took Xiao Mao with him instead.

Xiao Hua headed to Seven Absolute Ridge to aid the besieged disciples, but Kun Shuai lured him into a trap at Prison Dragon Ridge. The chapter ended with Kun Shuai preparing a golden flame while Xiao Hua fought to break free of the formation.

• Xiao Hua sent Kun Peng and the others to join the Joyful Sect disciples, then flew alone toward Seven Absolute Ridge.
• Kun Shuai met Xiao Hua, corrected the route Kun Peng had given him, and invited him to follow along through Prison Dragon Ridge.
• While they flew, Kun Shuai asked about Dui Qimeng and Cui Hongshen, and Xiao Hua said they had reconciled.
• Kun Shuai activated a formation that slammed Xiao Hua into the ground and trapped him in the valley.
• Kun Shuai ignored Xiao Hua's questions and formed a growing ball of golden flame as Xiao Hua rose to attack and reach for his demonic staff.

Kun Shuai trapped Xiao Hua in the Six Ding Mountain Splitting Demon Sealing Formation and attacked him with Innate True Fire. After defending himself until the flames filled the valley, Xiao Hua used Fire Evasion to reach Kun Shuai and strike his leg with the As-You-Wish Staff.

• Kun Shuai activated the Six Ding Mountain Splitting Demon Sealing Formation, which pinned Xiao Hua down and made his demon staff unbearably heavy.
• Kun Shuai summoned six streams of Innate True Fire, and Xiao Hua's Leaf Sun Fan fire dragons failed to affect them.
• Xiao Hua used the As-You-Wish Staff to knock away the flame sparks while the formation steadily wore him down.
• Kun Shuai covered the valley in flame sparks and mocked Xiao Hua's Hidden Fire Physique as he ran out of room to dodge.
• Xiao Hua used Fire Evasion to disappear into the Innate True Fire, emerged near Kun Shuai, and struck his leg with the As-You-Wish Staff.

Xiao Hua survived Kun Shuai’s trap and killed him, then discovered Li Chengxu hiding nearby and attacked him. The chapter left Xiao Hua and Li Chengxu fighting, with Li Chengxu striking Xiao Hua with a pipa’s piercing sound.

• Kun Shuai’s phantom vanished as a spindle-shaped artifact trapped Xiao Hua and Kun Shuai inside a collapsing space.
• Xiao Hua’s immense magical power reversed the artifact’s collapse, killing Kun Shuai and weakening the Six Ding Mountain Splitting Demon Sealing Formation.
• Xiao Hua took Kun Shuai’s magic bottle, command token, artifacts, storage bag, and Golden Core, then burned Kun Shuai’s corpse.
• Xiao Hua sensed something was amiss, revealed Li Chengxu hiding nearby, and attacked him with the As-You-Wish Staff.
• Li Chengxu tried to flee, then produced a pipa and struck a piercing note at Xiao Hua.

Xiao Hua fought Li Chengxu with soul attacks, flying swords, and Dream Slayer, while Li Chengxu’s protective talisman and hidden strength made him a dangerous opponent. Li Chengxu unleashed a Nascent Soul cultivator’s blood-red hand, but Xiao Hua used repeated fireball jade talismans to blast its confinement apart and halt its advance.

• Xiao Hua struck Li Chengxu with the Soul Capturing Bell and toad soul artifact, then cracked his protective radiance with the Soaring Flood Dragon Scissors.
• Xiao Hua trapped Li Chengxu in a Seven Star Great Formation, and Li Chengxu recognized him as the assassin of Tu Hong.
• Xiao Hua used Concealment of Heaven's Guise to display the pressure of Golden Core Mid-stage cultivation, then sent Dream Slayer’s sixty-four sword lights into the array.
• Li Chengxu activated a spirit talisman that summoned a blood-red hand, which shattered the sword formation and crushed Dream Slayer’s sword lights.
• Xiao Hua scattered fireball jade talismans, whose explosions broke the hand’s confinement and forced Li Chengxu to struggle to control it.

Xiao Hua trapped Li Chengxu with Innate True Water and the Seven Star Great Formation, intercepting his communication talisman before Li Chengxu destroyed himself with his Golden Core. Xiao Hua survived the blast, recovered the scattered water, and captured Li Chengxu’s soul long enough to question it before sending it onward.

• Li Chengxu tried to flee inside the Nascent Soul hand, but Xiao Hua restrained it with spirit fire and the Buddha Sarira’s Innate True Water.
• Li Chengxu launched a communication spirit talisman, but Xiao Hua intercepted it and stored it in his space.
• Xiao Hua broke the Nascent Soul hand and trapped Li Chengxu with the Seven Star Great Formation, while Li Chengxu’s defensive radiance resisted the Innate True Water.
• Li Chengxu attacked with a circular magic treasure, but Xiao Hua knocked it aside, and Li Chengxu then detonated his Golden Core.
• The explosion scattered the Innate True Water and injured Xiao Hua, who gathered the water back into the Pure Water Vase.
• Xiao Hua seized Li Chengxu’s lingering soul, questioned it, and sent it onward.

Xiao Hua survived Li Chengxu’s self-destruction, worried that True Person Du'e might be searching for him, and headed toward Seven Absolute Ridge to prepare for the coming battle. In Xuntian City’s Council Hall, Qian Mo defended his past handling of Dui Qimeng and Cui Hongshen by arguing that keeping Tu Hong as a commander could save countless Dao Sect cultivators.

• Xiao Hua gathered the scattered flying swords and remnants after Li Chengxu’s self-destruction, then wondered whether True Person Du'e had been searching for him.
• Xiao Hua decided to refine the Ice Mirror before the assault on Seven Absolute Ridge, burned away the traces in the valley, and flew toward the ridge.
• Heng Ming asked whether the sects had dispatched their probing disciples, and Zhou Qingping and Zhu Junwei reported that their disciples had already departed.
• Heng Ming, Xiong Huasong, Huo Ping, and Xiang Ming voiced confidence that the Dao Sect could defeat the sword cultivators after gathering its forces.
• Wang Ye mocked Qian Mo over Dui Qimeng and Tu Hong, but Qian Mo defended his actions as protecting Dui Qimeng, Cui Hongshen, Tu Hong, and the dignity of the Nascent Soul elders.
• Qian Mo argued that keeping Tu Hong, a talented commander, in the Council Hall justified the Thunder Control Sect’s losses because Tu Hong’s plans could save tens of thousands of Dao Sect cultivators.

The Council Hall learned that Li Chengxu had died, and Qian Mo offered Tu Hong’s recorded battle plans while presenting himself as a loyal investigator. As Qian Mo revealed a second, secret plan, Wang Ye questioned why he kept attributing the strategies to Tu Hong.

• Fairy Lianxia informed Heng Ming that Li Chengxu’s Life Spirit Tablet had shattered and ordered an investigation into his death.
• Qian Mo volunteered to investigate Li Chengxu’s death with Peng Die and twenty Council Hall disciples, then gave Heng Ming a jade slip containing Tu Hong’s battle plan.
• Heng Ming praised Tu Hong’s plan to use an attack on the spirit stone mine as a feint and ambush the sword cultivators.
• Qian Mo claimed Tu Hong had another secret calculation, so Heng Ming used a restriction to separate the rotating cultivators from the others.
• Heng Ming read Qian Mo’s second jade slip, while Wang Ye asked why Qian Mo attributed the strategy to Tu Hong instead of claiming it as his own.

Heng Ming presented Tu Hong’s proposal to ambush sword cultivators at the Sword Tomb, and the Council Hall debated whether the plan could work. Nearly every Golden Core cultivator supported pursuing it, leaving Li Jijie as the lone opponent.

• Qian Mo defended Tu Hong’s credit as Heng Ming prepared to explain the jade slip.
• Heng Ming revealed that Tu Hong had planned to lure sword cultivators into a Spirit Howl Great Formation at the Sword Tomb.
• Wang Ye, Dexun, Qian Mo, and Xiong Huasong questioned the plan’s feasibility and discussed the Sword Tomb’s routes, spiritual energy, and possible formations.
• Liu Xinwu reported that patrols had found no signs of high-level Sword Cultivator activity at the Sword Tomb.
• Li Jijie and Cheng Ming raised objections, while Qian Mo and Gao Wei argued that an ambush could still inflict losses and boost morale.
• Heng Ming called for a vote, and every Golden Core cultivator except Li Jijie supported the plan.

Hengming and the Council Hall leaders secretly arranged for disciples to train under Xiong Huasong while debating how to respond to Li Chengxu’s death. As they prepared for a final offensive, Xiao Hua settled into a cave and examined a jade slip from Tu Hong’s storage pouch.

• Qian Mo urged the Council Hall leaders to keep the training and formation plans secret from Xuntian City, and they agreed to send arriving disciples directly to Sword Tomb under Xiong Huasong.
• After Qian Mo and Peng Die left, the leaders fell silent as they considered Li Chengxu’s unexplained death and the weakness of their battlefield command.
• Hengming reassured the leaders that Li Chengxu’s death would not derail their plans, and they agreed to prepare a final attack and summon support from Xuntian City.
• Xiao Hua entered a dry mountain cave, set up a Minghua Stone, and retrieved a jade slip from Tu Hong’s storage pouch.
• After studying the jade slip, Xiao Hua pondered briefly and gave a cold sneer.

Xiao Hua thwarted Tu Hong’s attempt to possess him, reunited the Ice Mirror with the triangular treasure to restore the Kunlun Mirror, and discovered that Kun Shuai carried materials and a secret method for refining a thunder boat. He left the reason Kun Shuai had gathered Great Universe Shifting Token materials unresolved.

• Xiao Hua used the Setting Sun Island refinement method to bind Tu Hong’s triangular magic treasure and drew Tu Hong’s hidden Primordial Spirit out through the Ice Mirror’s vortex.
• Little Yellow trapped and devoured Tu Hong’s Primordial Spirit after Xiao Hua refused his plea for mercy.
• The Ice Mirror absorbed the triangular treasure and became the Kunlun Mirror, whose three-colored powers Xiao Hua tested against a cave wall.
• Xiao Hua set aside Tu Hong’s storage pouch to avoid exposure and regretted that Li Chengxu’s self-destruction had destroyed most of his belongings.
• Xiao Hua found Great Universe Shifting Token repair materials in Kun Shuai’s storage pouch, along with Thundercrack Stone and the Thunder Control Sect’s secret method for refining a thunder boat.
• Xiao Hua noticed that Kun Shuai had gathered Token materials without the method to repair it and wondered why.

Xiao Hua discovered Kun Shuai’s dealings with True Person Jinglü and planned to intercept Hu Guanqiu for his materials before traveling to Seven Absolute Ridge. There, sword cultivators guarding a spirit stone vein sensed someone approaching and prepared to attack.

• Xiao Hua concluded Kun Shuai had tried to kill him through the Forbidden Technique Record, then found the Thunder Control Sect’s thunder boat refining method among Kun Shuai’s possessions.
• Xiao Hua read a communication talisman revealing that Hu Guanqiu planned to meet Kun Shuai and carry materials needed to repair the Great Universe Shifting Token, so he decided to go after him.
• Xiao Hua refined more fire talismans, left his cave, and headed toward Seven Absolute Ridge.
• Ruo Si and Yun Bai led sword cultivators practicing a formation to defend Seven Absolute Ridge’s spirit stone vein.
• After the sword cultivators discussed their hopes of fighting Dao cultivators, Yun Bai noticed a flash of sword light and announced that someone was approaching.

Gu Yu arrived at Seven Absolute Ridge with Void Sky Sword Sect reinforcements, but said she would not fight because she had sworn not to kill Daoist cultivators again. She revealed that the Terrifying Phoenix had spared her, leaving Ruo Si and Yun Bai astonished and Yun Bai doubtful of her account.

• Yun Bai showed Ruo Si a sword image of a dozen incoming Bright Sword swordsmen, and Ruo Si sent Chen to receive them.
• Li Chun arrived with twelve Void Sky Sword Sect disciples and explained that they had been ordered to reinforce Seven Absolute Ridge.
• Ruo Si recognized Gu Yu and praised her reputation, but Gu Yu said her Formless Sword could no longer be used by her in battle.
• Li Chun explained that Gu Yu had gained insight into the Sword Dao, and Gu Yu clarified that she had vowed never to initiate the killing of Daoist cultivators again.
• Li Chun said Gu Yu's vow followed her encounter with the Terrifying Phoenix, whom Gu Yu said had spared her.
• Yun Bai rejected the idea that the Terrifying Phoenix could have spared Gu Yu and questioned her account.