Recaps

Huang Xiao won the Hall Master's Seat, shifting power away from the Pang Family, while Pang Ji concealed his alarm over the First Hall Master's presence. Pang Ji asked Shi Hen to arrange a meeting with Huo Lian at Supreme Demon Peak the next day.

• Shi Hen and Liu Tengfan welcomed Huang Xiao's victory, and Mo Pozheng decided to remain at the Main Hall until Huang Xiao returned.
• The assembled experts dispersed, leaving the Demon Hall's factions to reconsider their loyalties after Huang Xiao became Hall Master.
• Pang Ji stopped Shi Hen and asked to speak with him alone; Shi Hen sent Liu Tengfan away and listened.
• Pang Ji asked Shi Hen to tell Huo Lian to meet him the next day at Supreme Demon Peak, and Shi Hen agreed to pass on the message.
• Pang Ji recalled that the First Hall Master's divine sense had stopped him from interfering with the formation, confirming that the First Hall Master was still alive.

Pang Ji accepted that Huang Xiao would become Hall Master and planned to learn from Huo Lian how he had resisted the Supreme Demon Token. He used the Cold Pool he had prepared for himself to preserve Pang Yi, while Huang Xiao awoke alone in an ancient ice cave as a formation began to activate.

• Pang Ji decided to consult Huo Lian about the Supreme Demon Token and how he had countered its influence.
• Pang Ji found Pang Yi close to death and took him to his cultivation site to prolong his life.
• Pang Ji sealed Pang Yi in the Cold Pool, sacrificing the lifespan-extending preparation he had made for himself.
• Huang Xiao awoke in a vast, freezing ice cave and sensed a large shadow beneath the ice.
• Huang Xiao watched lines spread across the ice and form an intricate formation around a point of light on the floor.

Huang Xiao underwent Kui Yong’s strength-enhancement process in the Ice Chamber, where formations, indestructible supreme demonic qi, and powerful essence blood entered his body. The process widened and protected his meridians, leaving him enduring intense pain as his transformation continued.

• Huang Xiao stepped onto the formation eye, where Kui Yong’s divine sense examined him and stirred the essence blood produced by the Demon Refining Formula.
• Indestructible supreme demonic qi filled the Ice Chamber, and a powerful essence-blood aura seeped from the ice.
• A formation formed above Huang Xiao, descended, and imprinted itself onto his skin before activating.
• The formation drew the demonic qi and essence blood into Huang Xiao, splitting them into streams that began transforming his body.
• The demonic qi widened Huang Xiao’s meridians dramatically, while the formation restrained and protected them as he endured the pain.

Huang Xiao endured the painful increase in strength as he studied the indestructible supreme demonic qi and realized the formation and essence blood were protecting his body. Just as his progress slowed and he wondered whether he could match the era’s strongest experts, a mysterious red glint entered him and unleashed an extraordinarily powerful essence blood aura.

• Huang Xiao recognized that the Imperishability Chapter’s aura drove his strength upward while damaging his meridians, and that the formation and vitality from the essence blood healed and protected him.
• Huang Xiao noticed his improvement slowing and doubted he could reach the level of the Patriarch and other powerful experts in the Jianghu.
• A red glint flashed from the shadow beneath the ice and silently entered Huang Xiao through his feet.
• Huang Xiao felt a scorching aura surge into his body, causing his heart to thump and revealing an essence blood aura far stronger than the ones he had previously absorbed.
• Huang Xiao remained unable to resist the changes and passively endured the sudden increase in power.

Huang Xiao’s strength surged twice as powerful essence blood drew in the surrounding Indestructible Supreme Demonic Qi, and he realized that activating his heart fire seemed to trigger the surges. As the second day began, he sensed the source beneath the ice and wondered what enormous thing lay below him.

• Huang Xiao felt a second, much faster rise in strength after Kui Yong’s voice told him the process would last three days.
• Huang Xiao suspected Kui Yong’s divine sense had left, waited nearly a day, then activated his heart fire to study the Indestructible Supreme Demonic Qi.
• A powerful aura of essence blood surged through Huang Xiao’s feet, igniting the essence blood already within him and accelerating his growth again.
• On the second day, Huang Xiao activated his heart fire once more and sensed a huge shadow beneath the ice as another surge began.
• Huang Xiao wondered whether Kui Yong was sleeping below, then dismissed the idea because the shadow was too large to be a person.

Huang Xiao absorbed several surges of a trapped divine beast’s essence blood, risking his life to rapidly increase his strength before Kui Yong discovered his Longevity Chapter. Kui Yong demanded that Huang Xiao hand it over, but Huang Xiao denied possessing it.

• Huang Xiao continued absorbing essence blood until a bellow from beneath the ice revealed that a powerful divine beast was alive and trapped below.
• Huang Xiao stopped absorbing after taking in several surges and used Imperishable True Qi to recover from the dangerous strain.
• Kui Yong’s divine sense returned, recognized the Longevity Chapter’s aura, and offered Huang Xiao the Demon Hall Master’s seat forever in exchange for it.
• Huang Xiao denied having the Longevity Chapter and respectfully addressed Kui Yong as the First Hall Master.
• Kui Yong warned Huang Xiao that possessing the Longevity Chapter would bring death and demanded that he hand it over, but Huang Xiao continued to deny it.

Huang Xiao survived Kui Yong’s divine sense attack and destroyed the strand of Kui Yong’s divine sense, realizing how much his strength had grown. The Supreme Demonic Art and Supreme Demon Saber Technique appeared in the Ice Chamber, and Huang Xiao memorized their instructions and transformed his Heavenly Demon True Qi into Supreme Demonic Qi.

• Kui Yong accused Huang Xiao of stealing half the fruits of his ten-thousand-year scheme and demanded the Longevity Chapter.
• Kui Yong attacked Huang Xiao’s divine sense, but Huang Xiao’s improved defenses blocked the assault and he eradicated Kui Yong’s strand of divine sense.
• Huang Xiao realized his strength had risen beyond that of the Previous Hall Masters and considered continuing to absorb Kui Yong’s essence blood.
• The Supreme Demonic Art’s formula and images of the Supreme Demon Saber Technique appeared in the Ice Chamber, and Huang Xiao memorized them.
• Huang Xiao learned the arts’ cultivation requirements and transformed his Heavenly Demon True Qi into Supreme Demonic Qi.

Huang Xiao was teleported out of the Ice Chamber early after Kui Yong reacted, carrying a final surge of essence blood aura inside him. He arrived at the formation site in the Demon Hall and sat down to deal with the aura as three Inner Hall Elders arrived to meet him.

• Huang Xiao realized the formation was sending him out early after he destroyed Kui Yong's strand of Divine Sense, and he considered how to handle his return to the Demon Hall.
• During the teleportation, Huang Xiao discovered that an unconsumed surge of essence blood aura remained inside him and decided not to force it out until he had arrived safely.
• Huang Xiao appeared in a rocky valley that held the formation leading to the Ice Chamber and sat cross-legged to deal with the aura.
• Three Inner Hall Elders, one from each of the Three Great Halls, arrived to await Huang Xiao's return, surprised that he had come back more than half a day early.

After returning from the formation ahead of schedule, Huang Xiao began using his heart fire to condense the scattered essence blood aura within him back into essence blood. The process led him to consider whether he could reverse the Demon Refining Formula throughout his body and remove its influence, while keeping the secret of the Longevity Chapter from potential enemies.

• Huang Xiao returned from the formation in under two and a half days, and three Demon Hall experts witnessed his formidable aura before bowing and withdrawing.
• The experts considered whether to remain loyal to the Pang Family, support Huang Xiao, or stay neutral as they weighed the risks of the shifting Demon Hall power struggle.
• Huang Xiao activated his heart fire to temper the essence blood aura scattered through his body and condense it into essence blood again.
• Huang Xiao realized that heart fire might let him reverse the Demon Refining Formula's refinement of his true qi and potentially dispel its influence.
• Huang Xiao decided he could be less cautious about using the method because Kui Yong knew about his Longevity Chapter, but he still planned to keep that secret from figures such as Xuanyuan Jade Butterfly.

Huang Xiao successfully condensed a drop of essence blood from the essence blood aura, then tried using his heart fire to remove the Demon Refining Formula’s influence from his true qi. His attempt failed because he could not summon enough heart fire to temper all his true qi at once, leaving Shi Hen and the others still vulnerable to Kui Yong’s control.

• Huang Xiao condensed a drop of essence blood from the essence blood aura and stored it in his heart.
• Huang Xiao used his heart fire to separate essence blood from his Demon Refining Formula-refined true qi, but the separated qi mixed back together.
• Huang Xiao tried tempering all the true qi in his body at once, but his heart fire faded before the process was complete.
• Huang Xiao realized that Shi Hen and the others would remain unable to resist Kui Yong as long as the Demon Refining Formula controlled their true qi.

Huang Xiao emerged from the forbidden ground as the new Hall Master and faced the Demon Hall's leaders. He postponed the Thousand-Year Period and enthronement ceremony, then reminded Pang Ji that he was now an ordinary Inner Hall Elder under Liu Tengfan's authority.

• Huang Xiao resolved to strengthen his heart fire and planned to use the Blood Exhaustion Method somewhere safe to remove the Demon Refining Formula's lingering effects.
• Huang Xiao left the forbidden ground, and the Demon Hall members bowed to him as Hall Master.
• Mo Pozheng, Pang Ji, Shi Hen, and Liu Tengfan greeted Huang Xiao; Huang Xiao said he would consolidate his cultivation before announcing the Thousand-Year Period.
• Huang Xiao asked for his Supreme Ghost Stele, and Shi Hen offered to retrieve it, but Huang Xiao said he wanted to visit Shi Hen's residence and ask him questions.
• Pang Ji urged Huang Xiao to hold the enthronement ceremony, but Huang Xiao postponed it and declared that Pang Ji was an ordinary Inner Hall Elder under Liu Tengfan's authority.

After becoming Demon Hall Master, Huang Xiao retrieved the Supreme Ghost Stele and learned that Huo Lian had left after meeting Pang Ji. Huang Xiao considered the threats to his new position and withheld the secret of the Demon Refining Formula from Shi Hen.

• Huang Xiao retrieved the Supreme Ghost Stele from Shi Hen and confirmed its essence blood was intact.
• Huang Xiao asked where Huo Lian was, and Shi Hen told him Huo Lian had left after meeting Pang Ji on Supreme Demon Peak.
• Huang Xiao admitted he had not yet adjusted to his new strength and might still be weaker than Pang Ji in experience.
• Shi Hen speculated that Pang Ji had sought Huo Lian to find a way to counter Mo Pozheng's Supreme Demon Token.
• Huang Xiao considered revealing the Demon Refining Formula's secret to Shi Hen but decided not to explain it.

Huang Xiao decided to seek out Huo Lian before holding the Hall Master's Enthronement Ceremony, leaving Shi Hen to manage the Demon Hall. His departure confused the disciples, who had expected the ceremony to precede the Hall's campaign across the Jianghu.

• Huang Xiao told Shi Hen he would ask the Patriarch about the Supreme Demon Token and Demon Refining Formula after meeting Huo Lian.
• Shi Hen warned Huang Xiao that Pang Yi was near death and that demanding him from Pang Ji could provoke a major clash with the Pang Family; Huang Xiao said he had no intention of killing Pang Yi or Yang Tun.
• Huang Xiao announced he would visit Huo Lian and ordered Shi Hen to postpone the Enthronement Ceremony until he returned.
• Huang Xiao asked about the Jianghu's reaction to his becoming Hall Master, and Shi Hen said people were surprised but somewhat relieved.
• Huang Xiao left the Main Hall, prompting its disciples to report his departure to their masters and elders.

Huang Xiao left the Demon Hall to find Huo Lian, who examined his immense, unstable aura and learned that Huang Xiao had undergone three extraordinary essence-blood baptisms. Huo Lian realized Huang Xiao had received far greater benefits than previous Demon Hall Masters, making him an exception.

• Mo Pozheng learned Huang Xiao had left the Demon Hall, while Pang Ji hoped Huang Xiao's contact with Huo Lian would further strain relations with the Tomb Clan.
• Pang Ji worried about the Supreme Demon Token and suspected Huo Lian was demanding a steep price to counter it.
• Huang Xiao went to the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency, found the Patriarch absent, and hurried to Mist Mountain, where Huo Lian met him with a strike.
• Huang Xiao told Huo Lian that he had mastered the Supreme Demonic Art and Supreme Demon Saber Technique, and Huo Lian said his strength could eventually surpass even his own.
• Huo Lian found Huang Xiao's aura far stronger than that of previous Hall Masters and learned Huang Xiao had experienced three essence-blood baptisms, including one involving three auras at once.

Huang Xiao told Huo Lian that he possessed the 'Longevity Chapter' and had absorbed the power himself, leaving the Patriarch shocked and wary. Huo Lian revealed that he had chosen Huang Xiao as part of a plan to preserve his own life, but insisted that he still had further arrangements for him.

• Huo Lian questioned Huang Xiao about how his strength had increased, and Huang Xiao said he had absorbed the power himself rather than receiving it from Kui Yong.
• Huang Xiao decided to tell Huo Lian about the 'Longevity Chapter' because he wanted to leave something valuable for his people and trusted the Patriarch's past help.
• Huo Lian warned Huang Xiao that he could still kill him and said his prior guidance had been meant to exploit Huang Xiao's usefulness.
• Huo Lian admitted that he had chosen Huang Xiao to take his place and satisfy Kui Yong after escaping the Hall Master's Land of Slumber.
• Huang Xiao argued that Huo Lian's efforts to neutralize the 'Demon Refining Formula' showed he had abandoned that plan, but Huo Lian insisted he still had further arrangements for him.

Huang Xiao and Huo Lian agreed to exchange the Longevity Chapter for the complete Heavenly Demon Indestructible cultivation method and discussed Huang Xiao’s strength. Huang Xiao learned that he had reached the late Void Realm, with his power expected to stabilize near its peak, while Kui Yong remained a common threat.

• Huang Xiao told Huo Lian that Kui Yong had sensed the Longevity Chapter within him and offered to pass it on so it would not be lost.
• Huo Lian acknowledged that he had once intended to use Huang Xiao and agreed that they could join forces against Kui Yong.
• Huang Xiao offered the Longevity Chapter in exchange for Huo Lian’s complete Heavenly Demon Indestructible method, and Huo Lian accepted.
• Huang Xiao asked Huo Lian to assess his realm, and Huo Lian said he was in the late Void Realm and could reach its peak once his strength stabilized.
• Huo Lian explained that even Kui Yong could not raise a new Hall Master’s strength without limits or paying a greater price.

Huang Xiao learned that the realm above the Void Realm was called the Ancient Realm and that Kui Yong’s emergence would mark the true beginning of the Demon Hall Thousand-Year Period. After Huang Xiao angered Kui Yong and lost the Patriarch’s plan to keep him in control of the Demon Hall, he learned he could not safely return to its Main Hall.

• Huo Lian told Huang Xiao that the realm beyond the Void Realm was called the Ancient Realm and speculated that Kui Yong had entered it while Immortal Alchemist was far stronger.
• Huo Lian warned that Kui Yong could sweep through Jianghu and said his emergence, rather than Huang Xiao becoming Hall Master, would begin the true Demon Hall Thousand-Year Period.
• Huang Xiao told Huo Lian that he had refused to hand over the Longevity Chapter and had destroyed a strand of Kui Yong’s divine sense.
• Huo Lian said Huang Xiao could not return to the Demon Hall Main Hall because Kui Yong would not let him retain control and Pang Ji and Mo Pozheng could endanger him.
• Huang Xiao revealed that the Longevity Chapter let him regenerate essence blood and made the Blood Exhaustion Method’s aftereffect meaningless.

Huo Lian explained why Pang Ji would be difficult to convince about the Demon Refining Formula and why exposing it could be dismissed as an attempt to sow discord. Huang Xiao proposed using heart fire tempering to reverse its effects, leaving Huo Lian hopeful that they could test the method together.

• Huo Lian told Huang Xiao that he had withheld the full truth from Pang Ji and was keeping him dependent on the possibility of a countermeasure.
• Huo Lian explained that his existing method took too long and that Pang Ji would distrust the Blood Exhaustion Method and its consequences.
• Huo Lian warned that Demon Hall experts might treat claims about the Demon Refining Formula as slander, since the formula genuinely increased their strength.
• Huang Xiao said he had a possible method that could work on others and explained how heart fire tempering might reverse true qi refinement.
• Huo Lian praised the idea and agreed that he and Huang Xiao might be able to work together to counter one person's Demon Refining Formula.

Huang Xiao and Huo Lian discussed the Demon Hall’s succession and the danger of Kui Yong, then exchanged cultivation methods to prepare for him. After beginning the Longevity Chapter, Huo Lian unexpectedly felt he might be unable to ignite his heart fire.

• Huo Lian said Pang Yi would likely become the next Demon Hall Master if Huang Xiao did not return, and Huang Xiao accepted that he would stay away.
• Huang Xiao worried Shi Hen and the others would be vulnerable under Pang Yi, while Huo Lian warned that Pang Ji might not ally with them even if they neutralized the Demon Refining Formula.
• Huo Lian said Shi Hen and Zhu Xing E were the only ones who knew Huang Xiao had neutralized the formula and considered having Shi Hen leave the Demon Hall, or guarding against him revealing the secret.
• Huo Lian taught Huang Xiao Heavenly Demon Indestructible, and Huang Xiao recited the Longevity Chapter to Huo Lian.
• After trying the Longevity Chapter for less than half a day, Huo Lian said he felt he might be unable to ignite his heart fire.

Huo Lian tried to cultivate the Longevity Chapter but discovered that accumulated hidden injuries from past wounds and Heavenly Demon Indestructible had left his body near collapse. He began using the chapter to heal, while Huang Xiao focused on strengthening his heart fire before Kui Yong emerged.

• Huo Lian cultivated the Longevity Chapter and spat out foul, pitch-black blood.
• Huo Lian realized that dormant injuries had accumulated from old wounds and practicing Heavenly Demon Indestructible, leaving him unable to ignite heart fire safely.
• Huo Lian said the Longevity Chapter could help him eliminate the danger and nurse his body back to health, though he did not know how long recovery would take.
• Huo Lian said Huang Xiao would need to temper the reversed Demon Refining Formula's true qi with heart fire, since Huo Lian could not contribute his own.
• Huang Xiao repeatedly ignited and extinguished his heart fire, consuming and regenerating essence blood as its power rapidly increased.

Huang Xiao strengthened his Heart Fire and managed to reverse only a third of the true qi in his body before it reached its limit. Huo Lian offered two ways to improve further, and Huang Xiao chose to first try increasing the quantity of his Heart Fire by seeking out Demon Phoenix.

• Huang Xiao kindled his Heart Fire for five days, then reversed and separated up to a third of his true qi before exhaustion caused it to return to normal.
• Huang Xiao told Huo Lian that his Heart Fire and essence blood had both reached their limits for the time being.
• Huo Lian explained that his imitation of Demon Refining and Baleful Intent Condensation could strengthen essence blood through killing, but Huang Xiao could not use that method where they were.
• Huang Xiao chose to try increasing the quantity of his Heart Fire first, and Huo Lian told him to find Demon Phoenix.

Huang Xiao reunited with Wei Yidao, Demon Phoenix, and the others after defeating Pang Yi and becoming the Demon Hall Master. He revealed that he would not return to the Demon Hall, leaving them stunned and wondering what had happened.

• Huo Lian suggested that Demon Phoenix might be able to nurture Huang Xiao's heart fire, so Huang Xiao released his aura to summon him.
• Wei Yidao, Demon Phoenix, Wang Jiu, and the others gathered, and Huang Xiao confirmed that he had defeated Pang Yi and become the Demon Hall Master.
• Huang Xiao learned that Wei Yidao had temporarily reached the false Void Realm and that Demon Phoenix's flame power had grown greatly.
• When Demon Phoenix asked about Huang Xiao's plans, Huang Xiao said he would not return to the Demon Hall, surprising Wei Yidao and the others.

Huang Xiao told Demon Phoenix that he had offended Kui Yong, left the Demon Hall, and given Huo Lian the Longevity Chapter to help prepare for Kui Yong’s possible emergence. He asked Demon Phoenix to help strengthen his heart fire, and they prepared to test whether Demon Phoenix could nurture it.

• Huang Xiao told Demon Phoenix that he had destroyed a wisp of Kui Yong’s divine sense and had left the Demon Hall, prompting Demon Phoenix to approve of his escape.
• Huang Xiao explained that Huo Lian had sent him to ask Demon Phoenix to increase the power of his heart fire.
• Demon Phoenix berated Huang Xiao for teaching Huo Lian the Longevity Chapter, but Huang Xiao said he had given it to strengthen their position against Kui Yong.
• Huang Xiao revealed that he had received Huo Lian’s complete Heavenly Demon Indestructible, and Demon Phoenix questioned whether it was truly complete.
• Huang Xiao explained that the Demon Refining Formula might require him to kill people if his heart fire could not be strengthened another way, and Demon Phoenix asked to join him.
• Huang Xiao and Demon Phoenix began preparing to test whether Demon Phoenix could nurture Huang Xiao’s heart fire.

Huang Xiao supplied heart fire to Demon Phoenix, who learned to nurture it and increase its quantity. Demon Phoenix then began testing whether he could help Huang Xiao exceed his heart fire limit, sending his flame aura into Huang Xiao's meridians.

• Huang Xiao released heart fire for Demon Phoenix to study, and Demon Phoenix asked for a steady supply to make repeated attempts at nurturing it.
• Demon Phoenix swallowed Huang Xiao's heart fire continuously for two days, then stabilized it within himself and increased its quantity.
• Demon Phoenix said he could nurture heart fire but had not yet proven he could increase Huang Xiao's own supply, then prepared to try the method on him.
• Huang Xiao filled his heart fire to its current limit, and Demon Phoenix warned him not to resist as he sent flame aura into his meridians.
• The auras of Demon Phoenix's flames and Huang Xiao's heart fire met and intertwined in Huang Xiao's meridians, while his true qi remained unchanged.

Huang Xiao and Demon Phoenix discovered that tempering their flames together increased Huang Xiao’s Heart Fire, but Demon Phoenix said the gains had reached their limit. Since the Thousand-Year Period was approaching, they agreed that Huang Xiao would consolidate his strength before pursuing a second method: killing enemies to strengthen his Essence Blood and Heart Fire.

• Huang Xiao found that Demon Phoenix’s flames and his Heart Fire influenced and strengthened each other, increasing the Heart Fire’s quantity by twenty percent and its power by more.
• Demon Phoenix stopped the process and explained that his flames could not increase Huang Xiao’s Heart Fire further without a major rise in their own power.
• Huang Xiao said the added Heart Fire was insufficient to counter powerful experts such as Senior Shi and Shi Hen, and Demon Phoenix warned that there was not enough time to improve it over decades.
• Demon Phoenix proposed killing people and using Demon Refining and Baleful Intent Condensation to strengthen Huang Xiao’s Essence Blood, creating a two-pronged approach to increase his Heart Fire.
• Huang Xiao agreed that killing was their only choice but said he needed time to consolidate his strength before they went out.
• Demon Phoenix looked forward to returning to the Jianghu and showing off, while Huang Xiao cautioned that he could not confidently face ancient figures such as Xuanyuan Jade Butterfly.