Recaps

Huang Xiao asked Ke Zhenyi how to restore the Minghong Saber Soul, and they discussed finding more rare different flames after the God-Slaying Flame seemed to have a faint effect. Huang Xiao learned that he would need to seek flames beyond the Demon God Sect’s limited supply, while recognizing that his strength was still insufficient to pursue them safely.

• Ke Zhenyi agreed that different flames might help restore the saber soul and asked whether the God-Slaying Flame had affected it; Huang Xiao said it had, though he was uncertain.
• Ke Zhenyi explained that Huang Xiao could exchange for only a limited quantity of God-Slaying Flame through the Demon God Sect, and warned that arranging exchanges through other Demon Generals was forbidden.
• Huang Xiao and Ke Zhenyi considered searching Guangjin Consignment House auctions and buying information from the Ling Tong Sect for other sources of different flames.
• Ke Zhenyi offered to ask fellow smiths about possible methods and flames, but warned Huang Xiao that they would be difficult to approach by force.
• Ke Zhenyi named the Demon Domain’s Annihilation Flame and the Evil Domain’s Netherworld Flame as other wondrous flames, and Huang Xiao realized that more varieties could help him gather enough for the Minghong Saber Soul.
• Huang Xiao concluded that he needed greater strength before venturing into other domains to seek different flames.

Huang Xiao and Huo Lian discussed the power inside the Demon General Token and worried that using it could leave them vulnerable to control. They decided to keep it unused for now and watch Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai for signs of its effects.

• Huang Xiao told Huo Lian that the Demon General Token contained an aura that could rapidly increase their cultivation.
• Huo Lian warned Huang Xiao that he was impatient and questioned whether the power could damage their foundations or conceal a means of control.
• Huang Xiao recalled Kui Yong’s methods and agreed that they had to be cautious about power left behind by the Demon God.
• Huo Lian and Huang Xiao decided not to use the aura, but worried that the Demon God Sect might become suspicious if it remained in the token.
• Huo Lian urged Huang Xiao to observe Liu Wangtai, who had only recently begun using the aura, and Huang Xiao offered to absorb it himself if they found no other solution.

Huang Xiao visited Liu Wangtai after a month to discuss the effects of the Demon General Token’s aura, especially its improvement to divine sense. Liu Wangtai’s account revealed an unexpected benefit, but Huang Xiao found no unusual changes in him.

• Liu Wangtai settled on Wild Ox Peak to heal, while Ke Zhenyi left to bring his disciples and forging equipment from the Heavenly Art Sect.
• Huang Xiao told Lu Mu to find a place on Inkstone Mountain for Ke Zhenyi’s sect, and the Wild Ox Sect’s strength grew with three Demon Generals working together.
• After a month, Huang Xiao visited Liu Wangtai, whose injuries had healed and who had cultivated with the Demon General Token’s aura for about ten days.
• Liu Wangtai said the aura had greatly improved his internal power and divine sense, and Huang Xiao learned that his divine sense was stronger than most people’s.
• Huang Xiao secretly examined Liu Wangtai for unusual changes in his divine sense but found nothing.

Huang Xiao sparred with Liu Wangtai to investigate how the Demon God’s aura had altered his Divine Sense, but found no abnormalities. Huo Lian suggested comparing Liu Wangtai with Ke Zhenyi, while the two considered how to remove or use the aura without exposing themselves.

• Liu Wangtai asked Huang Xiao to spar with their Divine Senses, and Huang Xiao agreed after warning him about the risks.
• Huang Xiao sparred with Liu Wangtai and secretly examined his Divine Sense, finding it stronger but discovering no abnormalities.
• Huang Xiao and Huo Lian discussed how the Demon God’s aura could control Divine Sense and why those who noticed its effects might still have no choice but to use it.
• Huo Lian suggested that Huang Xiao spar with Ke Zhenyi as well, since Ke Zhenyi had used the aura for a year and could be compared with Liu Wangtai.
• Huo Lian proposed secretly using the aura on several people to exhaust it, but hoped to find a way to use its effects instead of wasting it.
• Huang Xiao considered whether the Ten Thousand Demons Skill could imitate the aura, but remained unsure whether it could deceive the Demon God Sect.

Ke Zhenyi settled at Wild Ox Peak, where he and Liu Wangtai grew stronger through cultivation and sparring with Huang Xiao. Later, Gao Tianhe reported that a cultivation site belonging to the ancient Longevity Daoist had been discovered, and Lu Mu said the Daoist may have lived in the Demon God's era.

• Ke Zhenyi arrived at Wild Ox Peak and agreed that Lu Mu would help arrange formations at the Heavenly Art Sect's new site.
• Over the next six months, Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai sparred and cultivated with Huang Xiao as the residences at Wild Ox Peak took shape.
• Liu Wangtai broke through into the ancient realm, while Huang Xiao strengthened his vitality and divine sense and remained the strongest of the three.
• Huang Xiao concluded that his strength had risen enough for him to potentially defeat Zhao Wei.
• Gao Tianhe told Huang Xiao that news of a cultivation site belonging to the Longevity Daoist had spread across the domains.
• Lu Mu said the Longevity Daoist was an expert from the same era as the Demon God, but admitted he knew little more.

Huang Xiao and the others discussed the Longevity Daoist’s cultivation site and the mysterious golden keys found there, then agreed to travel to the Central Desert to seek one. Huang Xiao suspected the keys were connected to the Bronze Key he had obtained and planned to hand over any key they found to the Demon God Sect.

• Huang Xiao shared information attributed to Kui Yong, saying the Longevity Daoist’s strength was said to rival the Demon God’s.
• Liu Wangtai argued that they should seek the golden keys, since obtaining one could earn them merit with the Demon God Sect.
• Lu Mu suggested the identical keys might be part of a Grand Formation or might form one themselves.
• Huang Xiao realized the golden keys resembled the Bronze Key he had obtained from Zhuo Mengshen and suspected they were connected to the Longevity Daoist.
• Ke Zhenyi supported taking part and said they should exchange any key they found for treasures from the Demon God Sect.
• Huang Xiao agreed to go with them, provided they planned carefully because the great powers could extend their influence into the Central Desert.

Huang Xiao, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai traveled to the Central Desert to seize Golden Keys left by Longevity Daoist, suspecting the keys could be connected to a formation. They found few powerful factions pursuing them, so they continued toward Longevity Daoist's cultivation grounds.

• Huang Xiao, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai discussed how to find weaker Golden Key holders and whether the keys were parts of a formation.
• The three traveled for ten days and reached the border between the Demon Domain and the Central Desert, where many Jianghu figures were heading after the keys.
• Huang Xiao noticed that they had encountered no notable experts, and Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai agreed that the lack of powerful factions was strange.
• Ke Zhenyi questioned whether they should continue, but Liu Wangtai and Huang Xiao argued that the keys could still be valuable to them.
• Huang Xiao led Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai toward Longevity Daoist's cultivation grounds to find people carrying keys.

Huang Xiao, Liu Wangtai, and Ke Zhenyi encountered Mu Fucheng after he and his subordinates defeated a group from other domains and obtained a key. Mu Fucheng recognized the three Demon Domain experts as a potential threat, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Huang Xiao, Liu Wangtai, and Ke Zhenyi encountered signs of a fight after traveling through the central desert for three days.
• The three arrived at a battlefield covered in hundreds of corpses, where Mu Fucheng and a dozen survivors remained.
• Mu Fucheng recognized Liu Wangtai and cautiously assessed the three newcomers, who had arrived after he spent much of his internal power fighting.
• Liu Wangtai noticed that Mu Fucheng had obtained a key, while Ke Zhenyi argued that taking it would merely return the favor.
• Mu Fucheng recognized Huang Xiao and Ke Zhenyi and grew wary of the strength and connections they had gained.

Huang Xiao showed Mu Fucheng that his golden key matched the shape of Huang Xiao’s bronze key and asked him to join forces to obtain more. Mu Fucheng agreed to Huang Xiao’s terms, trusting him by instinct.

• Huang Xiao asked Mu Fucheng how many keys he had, and Mu Fucheng said he had obtained one.
• Mu Fucheng showed Huang Xiao, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai his golden key, which matched the shape of Huang Xiao’s bronze key.
• Mu Fucheng said he had not yet discovered the golden key’s effects, though he believed it held powers left by Longevity Daoist.
• Huang Xiao invited Mu Fucheng to join them in seeking more keys and proposed equal shares, with Mu Fucheng’s current key counting as his first allocation and him receiving last priority thereafter.
• Mu Fucheng accepted Huang Xiao’s terms, explaining that he trusted Huang Xiao by instinct.

Mu Fucheng joined Huang Xiao, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai after gaining a golden key, and they discussed what he had learned about the struggle for keys. Huang Xiao proposed splitting into two groups as they advanced, while Mu Fucheng questioned why few major experts had come to Longevity Daoist's cultivation grounds.

• Mu Fucheng agreed to cooperate with Huang Xiao, sent his subordinates to gather information, and shared how he had obtained a golden key.
• Mu Fucheng told Huang Xiao, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai that he had encountered several battles over keys and that most key holders seemed to be fleeing toward the Central Desert's outskirts.
• Huang Xiao proposed splitting into two groups that would stay close enough to support each other, and Liu Wangtai and Mu Fucheng agreed.
• Mu Fucheng asked why few major experts had come to Longevity Daoist's cultivation grounds, and Huang Xiao guessed that powerful factions might know about the keys but consider them unworthy of pursuing.

Huang Xiao and Mu Fucheng searched the Central Desert for golden-key holders but repeatedly arrived after fights had ended. Huang Xiao sensed a key nearby and called Ke Zhenyi and the others over, though Mu Fucheng could detect nothing.

• Mu Fucheng refused Liu Wangtai’s offer to trade for his golden key, and the two groups traveled deeper into the Central Desert.
• Huang Xiao sensed that his Bronze Key resonated with Mu Fucheng’s golden key, but he kept his own key secret and could not detect any others nearby.
• Huang Xiao and Mu Fucheng found the aftermath of a fight and continued searching, only to discover five battle sites after their participants had already left.
• When Mu Fucheng suggested changing direction, Huang Xiao sensed people to the left and called Ke Zhenyi and the others over.
• Mu Fucheng said he had noticed nothing, and Huang Xiao replied that his own strength was greater.

Huang Xiao used the Bronze Key to sense a group of people within thirty li and led Mu Fucheng toward them, while concealing how he had detected them. They encountered twenty-odd practitioners from the Slaughter Domain, whose leaders prepared to fight them.

• Huang Xiao claimed he was stronger than Mu Fucheng and led him toward people he had detected ahead.
• Mu Fucheng confirmed the group was there and realized Huang Xiao could keep pace with him at full speed.
• Huang Xiao determined that the Bronze Key could sense Golden Keys within roughly thirty li.
• Mu Fucheng and Huang Xiao approached the group, which stopped and prepared to confront them.
• Mu Fucheng recognized the people as practitioners from the Slaughter Domain, and Huang Xiao defended their right to join forces.
• Brother Zheng mocked Huang Xiao and Mu Fucheng for appearing to be only at the Ancient Realm early stage, while Huang Xiao kept his true cultivation hidden.

Huang Xiao and Mu Fucheng fought three Slaughter Domain experts after the coerced followers fled. Huang Xiao battled Brother Chen in a brutal exchange of wounds, while Mu Fucheng struggled to hold off Brother Zheng and Brother Xu.

• Mu Fucheng revealed that he carried one key, and Brother Xu demanded it before ordering an attack.
• Huang Xiao warned the coerced followers to flee, and they scattered; Brother Xu killed one before Brother Zheng called him back to focus on the key.
• Huang Xiao charged Brother Zheng, while Mu Fucheng took on Brother Zheng and Brother Xu as the three Slaughter Domain experts moved to attack.
• Brother Chen struck at Huang Xiao with Sword Qi, and Huang Xiao blocked with the Minghong Saber before engaging him at close range.
• Mu Fucheng withdrew with several wounds, then saw Huang Xiao and Brother Chen continuing their fight despite being covered in injuries.

Huang Xiao fought Brother Chen of the Slaughter Domain in a brutal duel, matching his opponent’s strength and willingness to take wounds. After Brother Chen pierced Huang Xiao’s chest, Huang Xiao appeared beside him and struck at his neck, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Brother Chen praised Huang Xiao’s fighting spirit, and Huang Xiao charged into battle despite Mu Fucheng’s concern about their opponents’ strength.
• Huang Xiao and Brother Chen exchanged powerful saber and sword attacks, while Mu Fucheng’s opponents paused to watch their duel.
• Brother Chen unleashed dozens of sword strikes, but Huang Xiao blocked them and revealed that both fighters had suffered severe wounds.
• Brother Chen thrust his sword through Huang Xiao’s chest, believing he had won their contest of ruthlessness.
• Huang Xiao appeared beside Brother Chen and attacked his neck, leaving Brother Chen pale with fear.

Huang Xiao used his rapid healing to survive Brother Chen’s attack, kill him, and take his key. When Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai arrived, they pretended to covet the keys to make Brother Zheng and Brother Xu lower their guard.

• Huang Xiao let Brother Chen believe he had been killed, then slashed his neck and took the golden key from his body.
• Mu Fucheng saw Huang Xiao emerge from the dust and resumed confronting Brother Zheng and Brother Xu.
• Brother Zheng and Brother Xu tried to flee, but Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai appeared and blocked their way.
• Brother Zheng and Brother Xu claimed that Huang Xiao and Mu Fucheng had keys and that Huang Xiao was badly injured.
• Ke Zhenyi stopped Liu Wangtai from revealing their alliance, and Liu Wangtai demanded Huang Xiao’s key as if they were strangers.
• Brother Zheng and Brother Xu believed the Demon Domain newcomers were acting for themselves and let their guard down.

Huang Xiao and Mu Fucheng joined Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai to trick and defeat two men from the Slaughter Domain, securing two keys. The four then continued toward the Longevity Daoist's cultivation site, with Mu Fucheng recognizing that Huang Xiao's strength offered their group a major advantage.

• Mu Fucheng and Huang Xiao pretended to target the men from the Slaughter Domain while Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai secretly worked with them.
• Huang Xiao feigned weakness, then killed Brother Xu with a sudden saber strike as Brother Zheng attacked Mu Fucheng.
• Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai blocked Brother Zheng's escape, and the four defeated him and took his key.
• Huang Xiao revealed the key he had taken from Brother Chen, giving the group two keys to distribute.
• Mu Fucheng asked about Huang Xiao's injuries, and Huang Xiao dismissed them as minor before the four continued toward the Longevity Daoist's cultivation site.

Huang Xiao, Ke Zhenyi, Liu Wangtai, and Mu Fucheng reached Longevity Daoist’s cultivation site after fighting their way across the Central Desert and collecting keys. Their arrival drew wary attention from the gathered experts, and the group began asking whether anyone had entered the site.

• Huang Xiao and his allies reached the site with five keys each for Huang Xiao and Ke Zhenyi, and four each for Liu Wangtai and Mu Fucheng.
• The group recalled that Huang Xiao had killed two Ancient Realm middle-stage experts on the journey, revealing a strength that surprised Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai.
• Huang Xiao’s group approached the hill together and found experts from every domain gathered around Longevity Daoist’s cultivation site.
• People from the Demon Domain wondered why Mu Fucheng had joined Huang Xiao and the other two, while Mu Fucheng recognized that they underestimated Huang Xiao because of his youth.
• Liu Wangtai nearly revealed that the group had killed middle-stage experts, but Huang Xiao stopped him from discussing it in front of the crowd.
• A Demon General told Mu Fucheng that people were discussing the cultivation site, and Mu Fucheng asked whether anyone had managed to enter.

Huang Xiao identified the barrier around the small hill as a formation left by Senior Longevity Daoist, prompting the crowd to suspect better treasures lay inside. The gathering pressured Huang Xiao to break it, threatening him and his companions if he refused.

• Huang Xiao explained that the formation blocking the hill was likely part of the cultivation site and had activated automatically after the keys emerged.
• Liu Wangtai concluded that the formation might guard better treasures, but the crowd turned hostile when they realized Huang Xiao was their best chance of breaking it.
• The Demon General and others demanded that Huang Xiao break the formation so everyone could enter and compete for the treasures.
• A formation breaker protested that people had entered before the barrier appeared and might already be claiming the treasures inside.
• An ancient realm middle-stage old man ordered Huang Xiao to break the formation, while Huang Xiao calmly acknowledged that the crowd was threatening him.

Huang Xiao negotiated with Wang Mengjiao and the gathered experts to keep Mu Fucheng, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai safe while he examined the formation blocking Senior Longevity Daoist's cultivation site. The chapter left Huang Xiao back at his starting point after inspecting the formation, with Wang Mengjiao asking whether he could break it.

• Wang Mengjiao identified himself as the Fierce Wolf Claw and demanded that Mu Fucheng, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai stay behind while Huang Xiao approached the formation.
• Huang Xiao warned the gathered experts that those inside might gain powerful treasures or escape before the formation was broken.
• Wang Mengjiao and the others withdrew their men from surrounding the three, and Huang Xiao agreed to try breaking the formation.
• Huang Xiao reasoned that Senior Longevity Daoist had designed the formation to test strength or talent rather than leave everyone without hope.
• Huang Xiao inspected the formation by walking around the hill, then returned to his starting point as Wang Mengjiao asked if he could break it.

Huang Xiao claimed that Lu Mu’s formation treasures and the help of Mu Fucheng, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai could break the formation around Senior Longevity Daoist’s cultivation grounds. After an hour of apparent progress and a loud crash, the formation remained intact, protecting the four from the experts’ sudden attacks.

• Huang Xiao demanded that Mu Fucheng and the other two join him, claiming their formation treasures were needed to break through.
• Wang Mengjiao and the others agreed, while Mu Fucheng, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai understood that Huang Xiao wanted to keep them safe.
• Huang Xiao directed the three to pretend to activate formation items as he worked on the formation.
• After an hour, the formation shook, and the experts prepared to attack Huang Xiao and his companions when it broke.
• The experts rushed toward the formation after a loud crash, but it hurled them back because it had not broken.
• The formation shielded Huang Xiao and his companions from the attacks, though Liu Wangtai and Ke Zhenyi suffered minor injuries.

Huang Xiao and his companions used the formation to keep the Jianghu experts at bay while they worked their way toward the hill. After Huang Xiao broke through the formation, they found an entrance and sensed that many keys might be inside the cultivation grounds.

• Huang Xiao's plan to enter the formation with Mu Fucheng and the others succeeded, leaving the Jianghu experts unable to attack them from outside.
• Wang Mengjiao called on the Jianghu experts to cooperate and break the formation, which they found had become easier to unravel.
• Huang Xiao controlled the formation to reunite with Mu Fucheng, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai, then warned them that the formation would eventually be broken and he had no escape plan.
• After half a day, Huang Xiao broke through the formation and led his companions toward the hill as the experts outside began entering it.
• Huang Xiao and his companions found an entrance at the hill's base, and Huang Xiao sensed that many keys were inside the cultivation grounds.

Huang Xiao and his companions entered a newly revealed underground chamber where rival groups fought over a sealed room. Inside, they discovered a stone platform holding a little over a hundred Silver Keys, but a formation repelled anyone who tried to take them.

• Huang Xiao, Mu Fucheng, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai followed the underground passage and heard fighting ahead.
• The four reached a vast chamber where around a hundred people fought, and Huang Xiao explained that a formation had concealed the place until recently.
• The combatants noticed Huang Xiao and his companions, then realized the formation outside had likely been broken and feared more people would arrive.
• A fighter rushed through the broken stone doorway toward the small chamber, prompting the others to surge after him.
• Huang Xiao and his companions saw Silver Keys on a stone platform, but the first man to reach for them was repelled by a formation.
• The other fighters concluded the formation was not immediately dangerous and repeatedly charged toward the keys.

Huang Xiao and the others fought the Jianghu people for the silver keys after the formation broke, while Huang Xiao secretly discovered a more valuable Bronze Key. A violent blast sent the keys out of the underground chamber and shattered the mound above, leaving the people outside staring at something revealed among the falling rocks.

• Huang Xiao noticed a rusty Bronze Key lodged in the broken stone door and realized it was more precious than the silver keys.
• The formation broke, sending nearly a hundred silver keys flying as Huang Xiao, Mu Fucheng, Ke Zhenyi, Liu Wangtai, and the Jianghu people scrambled to seize them.
• Huang Xiao moved toward the broken stone door while Liu Wangtai threatened those who fled with keys, but he stayed to fight for the remaining ones.
• The large stone chamber shook and exploded open, sending the keys toward the surface as the Jianghu people rushed after them.
• The mound above burst apart while people outside worked on the formation, and sharp-eyed Jianghu people called out at what they saw among the falling rocks.

After the mound exploded and the formation collapsed, Jianghu fighters fought over the silver keys and attacked those emerging from below. Huang Xiao and the other three revealed that only a little over a hundred keys had existed, and they had obtained eleven between them.

• The mound exploded, breaking the formation and sending silver keys into the air, where nearly ten thousand people fought over them.
• Huang Xiao and the others emerged from underground and fled as the crowd attacked and killed many people coming out after them.
• People rushing into the opening were met by corpses and then by Huang Xiao, Mu Fucheng, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai, who killed dozens with their counterattack.
• A survivor pointed out Huang Xiao's group as the people who had gained the most, drawing the crowd's attention to them.
• Wang Mengjiao demanded to know how many silver keys there were, and the survivor said there had been only a little over a hundred.
• Mu Fucheng, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai explained that the four had collected only eleven keys: three each for Huang Xiao, Mu Fucheng, and Ke Zhenyi, and two for Liu Wangtai.

Wang Mengjiao tried to force Huang Xiao and his companions to surrender some of their silver keys, but they refused and fought back. Huang Xiao led the others in a charge at Wang Mengjiao, while the surrounding crowd hesitated instead of joining the battle.

• Wang Mengjiao accused Huang Xiao and his companions of holding too many silver keys and demanded they hand over ten.
• Huang Xiao warned Wang Mengjiao to pursue the weaker key-holders, but Wang Mengjiao insisted on taking keys from the four.
• Liu Wangtai refused to surrender the keys, and Wang Mengjiao urged the crowd to attack them.
• Huang Xiao ordered his companions to fight and charged directly at Wang Mengjiao, with Mu Fucheng, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai following.
• Wang Mengjiao struck Huang Xiao with Sword Qi, but Huang Xiao split it with the Minghong Saber.
• Wang Mengjiao realized the crowd was holding back to let him and Huang Xiao’s group weaken each other.