Recaps

Huang Xiao and Huo Lian tested the fake-looking Iron Key with their Bronze Key and discovered that the map from Mu Fucheng’s box resonated with it instead. They suspected the map was connected to the real Iron Key and might reveal its location.

• Huang Xiao found an old map beneath the Iron Key in Mu Fucheng’s Wooden Box, and the others judged the key to be fake.
• Huang Xiao and Huo Lian agreed to wait for Mu Fucheng to wake before asking why he had given them the box.
• Huang Xiao proposed that their Bronze Key might help distinguish a real Iron Key from a forgery.
• Huo Lian brought out the Bronze Key, and he and Huang Xiao detected a resonance while testing it with the box.
• Huo Lian identified the map as the source of the resonance, and Huang Xiao wondered whether it showed where the real Iron Key was.

Huang Xiao and Huo Lian discovered that the Bronze Key had revealed a map pointing to a red-marked destination in the Extreme Cold Mountains, and they planned to question Mu Fucheng without exposing what they had seen. When Mu Fucheng awoke, he explained that he had traded away his keys to survive and vowed to take revenge on the former friends who betrayed him.

• The map faded and transformed after Huang Xiao and Huo Lian examined it, revealing the Frozen Snowfield and a destination in the Extreme Cold Mountains.
• Huo Lian and Huang Xiao decided to seek more information from Mu Fucheng while concealing the map and asking only about the Iron Key.
• Mu Fucheng awoke the next afternoon as Huang Xiao, Ke Zhenyi, and Liu Wangtai visited him, and Huang Xiao assured him that the Wild Ox Sect would protect him from the people gathered outside.
• Mu Fucheng said he had traded away all his keys for chances to escape and survive.
• Mu Fucheng declared that he intended to take revenge on the trusted friends who had attacked him for the keys.

Mu Fucheng explained that the Iron Key he gave Huang Xiao might be genuine, since he had received it over thirty years earlier from a dying man whose ancestors cast the original keys later refined by Senior Longevity Daoist. Huang Xiao accepted the Key and Map, and the group agreed to keep their possible connection to the secret concealed.

• Huang Xiao accepted that Mu Fucheng might have given him a fake Iron Key, while Mu Fucheng explained that he had obtained it more than thirty years ago.
• Mu Fucheng said he had saved a badly injured man, who left him a Wooden Box containing the Key and a Map he had never deciphered.
• Mu Fucheng revealed that the man's ancestors had cast the original keys before Senior Longevity Daoist refined them, making the Iron Key potentially genuine.
• Mu Fucheng said he had offered the Key and Map to repay Huang Xiao for protection because he had nothing else to give.
• Huang Xiao accepted the Key, and Ke Zhenyi, Huo Lian, and the others warned that they must keep its possible significance secret.

Huang Xiao learned that Zhu Fengmu’s clansmen lived in the Frozen Snowfield and decided to seek them out, hoping to verify the Iron Key and find a way to restore his saber soul. Despite Ke Zhenyi’s warnings about the dangers and the key’s consequences, Huang Xiao remained determined to awaken the Minghong Saber Soul and Demon Phoenix.

• Mu Fucheng said Zhu Fengmu had mentioned clansmen in the Frozen Snowfield, and Huang Xiao recognized that this matched the newly revealed map.
• Huang Xiao asked about the Zhu Family and said he wanted to visit the Frozen Snowfield to determine whether the key was genuine.
• Ke Zhenyi warned Huang Xiao that pursuing the key could bring disaster, while Huo Lian left the decision to Huang Xiao.
• Huang Xiao said the Zhu Family’s forging skills might help restore his saber soul and insisted he would awaken the Minghong Saber Soul and Demon Phoenix at any cost.

Huang Xiao decided to travel alone to the Frozen Snowfield to ask the Zhu Family about the Saber Soul Revival Method, while the Wild Ox Sect weighed how to protect itself from people coveting its Silver Keys. When Jianghu fighters began assaulting the sect’s formation, Mu Fucheng stepped forward to explain who had taken his keys.

• Huang Xiao planned to leave for the Frozen Snowfield, and Ke Zhenyi and Liu Wangtai chose not to accompany him.
• Huang Xiao warned that the Wild Ox Sect could become a target once powerful forces controlled more Silver Keys, and he proposed handing over a few keys to ease the pressure.
• Huo Lian and Ke Zhenyi cautioned that the sect had to set limits so others would not keep demanding more, while Liu Wangtai objected to giving up any keys.
• Jiang Deng reported that the Jianghu fighters had made a move, and Huang Xiao took the others to see them assaulting the formation at the foot of the mountain.
• Mu Fucheng stepped forward and began addressing the crowd, which had demanded that he hand over his Silver Keys.

Mu Fucheng revealed that he had traded away his keys to survive and exposed Yao Feng as one of the men who took a Silver Key from him. After Yao Feng died and the Jianghu crowd demanded two keys from Huang Xiao, Huang Xiao tossed two Silver Keys to their spokesman, who caught them.

• Mu Fucheng said he had surrendered his keys in exchange for a chance to survive.
• Mu Fucheng accused Yao Feng and Wu Cong of taking his Silver Keys, then provoked the crowd into attacking Yao Feng.
• The crowd killed Yao Feng and fought over his Silver Key, while Mu Fucheng thanked Huang Xiao for his help.
• Huang Xiao confronted the crowd as they demanded two Silver Keys, claiming they belonged to Mu Fucheng.
• Huang Xiao tossed two Silver Keys toward the crowd, and their spokesman caught both.

After two Silver Keys drew the Jianghu pursuers away from the Wild Ox Sect, Huang Xiao traveled to the Frozen Snowfield with the Bronze Key and Supreme Ghost Stele. Ren Dongju confronted him there, worried about the danger he faced, and Huang Xiao explained that he was seeking the Zhu Family’s help to awaken his Saber Soul without revealing his interest in the Iron Key.

• The pursuers chased after the man who had taken both Silver Keys, leaving the Wild Ox Sect, and Huang Xiao reassured Mu Fucheng that losing the keys was worthwhile.
• Huang Xiao left Huo Lian to guard the Wild Ox Sect and set out for the Frozen Snowfield carrying the Bronze Key and Supreme Ghost Stele.
• A month later, Ren Dongju met Huang Xiao at the Frozen Snowfield and scolded him for traveling while so many people targeted him.
• Huang Xiao told Ren Dongju he was searching for the Zhu Family to seek a way to awaken his Saber Soul, while keeping his plans for the Iron Key secret.

Ren Dongju warned Huang Xiao about the dangers of the Frozen Snowfield, gave him a Wood Demon Sect Identity Token, and assured him of protection after Huang Xiao surrendered two Silver Keys. After Huang Xiao left, Ren Dongju revealed that he had also been testing whether Huang Xiao possessed a genuine Iron Key, unaware that Huang Xiao had concealed the keys and map in a box that blocked their auras.

• Huang Xiao told Ren Dongju he wanted to seek out the flames needed to awaken his saber soul himself, despite the risks.
• Ren Dongju approved Huang Xiao's decision to hand over two Silver Keys, which eased pressure on the Wild Ox Sect and gave the Wood Demon Sect a reason to keep protecting it.
• Ren Dongju warned Huang Xiao about the dangers of the Frozen Snowfield and gave him an Identity Token containing the Wood Demon Sect Master's force for protection.
• After Huang Xiao left, Ren Dongju admitted he had brought a Bronze Key to check whether Huang Xiao's Iron Key was genuine, but it had not reacted.
• Ren Dongju suspected Huang Xiao might still be hiding a genuine Iron Key, while Huang Xiao's keys and map remained undetected inside the aura-sealing box.

Huang Xiao crossed the Frozen Snowfield in search of the Zhu Family and the Extreme Cold Mountains, finding the region harsh, sparsely populated, and filled with erratic spiritual energy. He finally encountered five Ancient Realm experts fighting, and watched three old men threaten Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing.

• Huang Xiao used the Identity Token’s force as reassurance and continued north through the Frozen Snowfield, unable to find anyone who could direct him to the Zhu Family.
• After more than half a month of travel, Huang Xiao noticed that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth changed unpredictably across the snowfield.
• Huang Xiao spotted five Ancient Realm experts fighting and cautiously approached to observe them.
• Huang Xiao saw three old men overwhelm Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing, who relied on a Combined Strike Method to defend themselves.
• Zhou Kemo offered to leave, but the old men demanded that Sun Lanbing stay with them while they let him go.

Huang Xiao intervened when three old men attacked Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing over their cultivation grounds. After Huang Xiao killed the eldest and the couple defeated the other two, Zhou Kemo explained that their grounds were a natural Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation, which caught Huang Xiao’s interest.

• Huang Xiao rushed in and knocked the eldest away just as he was about to kill Zhou Kemo.
• Huang Xiao fought the eldest while Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing gained the upper hand against Second Brother and Third Younger Brother.
• Huang Xiao said he had intervened because he could not stand the three old men, then killed the eldest as the other two tried to flee.
• Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing killed the two remaining old men after Huang Xiao’s victory.
• Zhou Kemo offered Huang Xiao their cultivation grounds, explaining that they formed a natural Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation, and Huang Xiao became interested.

Huang Xiao examined the natural Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation in Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing's valley and found that its center matched a second-tier formation. The chapter leaves Zhou Kemo wondering whether the valley's effects might even reach the third layer tier.

• Huang Xiao told Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing that he had just arrived and had no designs on their cultivation site, so they took him to the valley.
• Huang Xiao sensed spiritual energy gathering as he approached the valley and judged its outer area equivalent to the first layer level of a Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation.
• Huang Xiao explained the formation's levels to Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing, then trusted them and proceeded toward the valley's center.
• Huang Xiao confirmed that the spiritual energy at the center matched a second-tier Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation.
• Zhou Kemo wondered whether Huang Xiao meant that the valley's center reached the third layer tier when Huang Xiao said its effects were more than that.

Huang Xiao learned from Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing how they found their unusually powerful cultivation valley in the Frozen Snowfield. Sun Lanbing revealed that places where Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth seemed impossibly dense could be extraordinary, leaving Huang Xiao wondering whether a hidden treasure like the one at Wild Ox Peak lay nearby.

• Huang Xiao told Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing that their valley’s formation surpassed the second tier but remained below the third layer tier, and he explained that he could not stay there.
• Zhou Kemo offered to share a secret about the Frozen Snowfield as thanks for Huang Xiao killing the three old men.
• Zhou Kemo explained that he and Sun Lanbing had spent years studying the changing Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth to find a dense, stable cultivation site.
• Sun Lanbing said that places in the Frozen Snowfield that seemed impossible, especially those with extremely dense Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth, could be extraordinary.
• Huang Xiao connected her explanation to the treasure at Wild Ox Peak and searched the valley for a similar hidden treasure.

Huang Xiao learned from Sun Lanbing and Zhou Kemo how their valley gathered Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth from nearby stable, energy-rich sites. The group settled into an ice-built resting place, where Huang Xiao asked about their knowledge of the Frozen Snowfield.

• Huang Xiao asked Sun Lanbing why the valley had such dense Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth, and Sun Lanbing explained that it drew energy from the surrounding area.
• Sun Lanbing described why the valley had remained undiscovered, including its limited periods of energy gathering and the nearby unstable energy-rich sites.
• Huang Xiao learned that dozens of stable, dense-energy locations clustered around the valley made it an exceptionally rare cultivation site.
• Huang Xiao concluded that the valley's energy gathering arose naturally as Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth flowed from dense areas into the valley.
• Zhou Kemo led Huang Xiao to their ice-built resting place, where Sun Lanbing served him hot water.
• Huang Xiao thanked them for the hot water and asked what they knew about the Frozen Snowfield.

Huang Xiao sought information about the Zhu Family and learned that Wine-Crazy might be connected to them. He and Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing reached Wine-Crazy’s ice house, where a voice turned visitors away.

• Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing said they had never heard of the Zhu Family, but Sun Lanbing recalled that Wine-Crazy might be surnamed Zhu and called Old Ghost Zhu.
• Huang Xiao decided to meet Wine-Crazy, and Zhou Kemo agreed to bring him good wine as a gift.
• Sun Lanbing worried Huang Xiao might harm Wine-Crazy, but Huang Xiao said he only wanted the Zhu Family’s help.
• Zhou Kemo, Sun Lanbing, and Huang Xiao headed to Wine-Crazy’s ice house, where they met Old Yang, who praised Wine-Crazy’s forging and showed off his new saber.
• When the group reached the ice house, someone inside said there were no visitors for the time being.

Huang Xiao sought Wine-Crazy’s help in reaching the Zhu Family and learning how to restore the Minghong Saber Soul. Wine-Crazy revealed that he had been expelled from the Zhu Family and warned Huang Xiao that neither he nor the family was likely to help.

• Zhou Kemo, Sun Lanbing, and Huang Xiao lured Wine-Crazy out with fine wine and asked him about the Zhu Family.
• Wine-Crazy confirmed that he had been expelled from the Zhu Family and asked why they had come to him.
• Huang Xiao explained that he wanted guidance on forging and asked where the Zhu Family was, but Wine-Crazy said outsiders needed a recommendation to be received.
• Huang Xiao showed Wine-Crazy the Minghong Saber and said he wanted to awaken its saber soul.
• After examining the saber, Wine-Crazy said its soul was near dissipation and reviving it would cost more than obtaining other fine sabers.
• Wine-Crazy warned Huang Xiao that even the Zhu Family most likely would not help him.

Huang Xiao learned from Wine-Crazy that ordinary Different Flames were too weak to reliably revive the Minghong Saber Soul, and that the powerful Origin Flames had been used to forge Supreme Treasures. Wine-Crazy said the Origin Flames were gone, but suggested that collecting large quantities of their weaker successors might still awaken the Saber Soul.

• Huang Xiao asked Wine-Crazy what it would take to revive the saber's Saber Soul, and Wine-Crazy explained that even the God-Slaying Flame and Zhurong's Fire were not powerful enough.
• Wine-Crazy said the present Different Flames had evolved from stronger Origin Flames, which had been used to forge the Seven Great Treasures and other Supreme Treasures.
• Wine-Crazy explained that Longevity Daoist had taken the remnants of the Origin Flames and used them to temper nine remarkable keys, including one Iron Key and eight Bronze Keys.
• Huang Xiao realized the Origin Flames were gone, but Wine-Crazy suggested that gathering enough ordinary Different Flames might still awaken the Saber Soul.
• Zhou Kemo said they would find a way to collect the Different Flames.

Huang Xiao learned that reviving the Minghong Saber Soul might require supreme treasures forged with origin flame and a way to strengthen the flame within them. Wine-Crazy identified the Zhu Family as the foremost family in forging and repairing saber souls, and Huang Xiao reacted strangely when he learned Wine-Crazy was called Zhu Fenglin.

• Wine-Crazy explained that gathering enough different flames was difficult and suggested using supreme treasures forged with origin flame to awaken Huang Xiao's saber soul.
• Huang Xiao realized he possessed the supreme treasures and could use his heart fire to strengthen their traces of origin flame, though the process would be slow.
• Wine-Crazy said the Zhu Family had studied the obscure art of repairing saber souls for generations and could likely provide the needed method.
• Wine-Crazy revealed that he had been expelled from the Zhu Family and was no longer acknowledged by them.
• Huang Xiao asked Wine-Crazy if his name was Zhu Fenglin.

Zhu Fenglin reacted intensely when Huang Xiao mentioned Zhu Fengmu, then learned that Fengmu had died decades earlier. Huang Xiao revealed that he possessed Fengmu’s Iron Key, and Zhu Fenglin explained that it was the key to the Zhu Family’s sacred ground.

• Zhu Fenglin grabbed Huang Xiao and demanded to know where Zhu Fengmu was after hearing his name.
• Huang Xiao told Zhu Fenglin that Zhu Fengmu had been dead for decades and explained what he knew about Fengmu’s connection to Mu Fucheng.
• Zhu Fenglin asked whether Fengmu had left anything behind, and Huang Xiao revealed that he had the Iron Key and had also seen a map.
• Zhu Fenglin told Huang Xiao that the Iron Key was fake but had been passed down with a map the Zhu Family had failed to decipher.
• Zhu Fenglin revealed that the Iron Key opened the Zhu Family’s sacred ground and bore a formation laid down by Senior Longevity Daoist.

Huang Xiao learned how Zhu Fengmu stole the Zhu Family’s sacred-grounds key and why Zhu Fenglin’s branch had been expelled. Zhu Fenglin confirmed the key was genuine and, with Huang Xiao’s permission, received it, leaving them to plan a return to the Zhu Family.

• Zhu Fenglin told Huang Xiao that Zhu Fengmu stole the key to gain access to forging manuals for a contest, then fled after being discovered, causing his relatives to be expelled from the Zhu Family.
• Zhu Fenglin offered Huang Xiao a great favor and the Zhu Family’s help reviving the Minghong Saber Soul if Huang Xiao returned the key.
• Huang Xiao agreed to return the key but kept the map, saying he could draw Zhu Fenglin a copy.
• Huang Xiao handed Zhu Fenglin the iron key, and Zhu Fenglin confirmed it opened the Zhu Family’s sacred grounds.
• Huang Xiao asked when they could go to the Zhu Family.

Huang Xiao and Zhu Fenglin set out for the Zhu Family in the Extreme Cold Mountains, hoping the clan could restore Huang Xiao’s Saber Soul. Near the mountains, Huang Xiao hid his treasures in the snow before a Zhu Family guard blocked their way.

• Huang Xiao and Zhu Fenglin agreed to leave immediately for the Zhu Family, while keeping the Iron Key’s secret from Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing.
• Zhu Fenglin told Huang Xiao that the Zhu Family lived in the Extreme Cold Mountains and relied on a formation set up by Senior Longevity Daoist to stabilize the violent spiritual energy.
• After ten days of travel, Huang Xiao and Zhu Fenglin reached the vicinity of the mountains, and Zhu Fenglin warned Huang Xiao to show restraint around the guard disciples.
• Huang Xiao secretly hid a box containing a map, the Bronze Key, and the Supreme Ghost Stele beneath a mound of snow.
• After they traveled another twenty-odd li, a white-robed Zhu Family guard appeared and ordered Huang Xiao and Zhu Fenglin to stop.

Zhu Fenglin returned to the Zhu Family with the Iron Key and was promised readmission, while Huang Xiao asked the Grand Elder for help reviving a Saber Soul. The Grand Elder’s hostility toward people from the Demon Domain left Huang Xiao standing his ground.

• Zhu Fenglin told a Zhu Family disciple he had a lead on the Sacred Land’s key and wanted to rejoin the family.
• The Grand Elder arrived, took the Iron Key from Zhu Fenglin, and confirmed it was genuine.
• The Grand Elder said Zhu Fenglin could return to the Zhu Family because he had recovered the key.
• Zhu Fenglin explained that Huang Xiao had found the key and sought help reviving a Saber Soul.
• The Grand Elder insulted Huang Xiao for being from the Demon Domain and ordered him to leave, but Huang Xiao respectfully pressed his request.

After the Zhu Family’s Grand Elder refused to help Huang Xiao enter the sacred land, Huang Xiao left and searched the Extreme Cold Mountains for the place marked on his map. After a month of fruitless wandering, he realized the Bronze Key and map might resonate with the location and began using them to guide his search.

• The Grand Elder threatened to kill Huang Xiao, but spared him after seeing his Wood Demon Sect Identity Token.
• Huang Xiao declined Zhu Fenglin’s offer to speak for him, told him he belonged to the Wild Ox Sect, and left the Zhu Family.
• Huang Xiao retrieved his hidden treasures and decided to pursue the map’s location in the Extreme Cold Mountains while preparing to strengthen his origin flame.
• Huang Xiao searched the mountains for a month, enduring the intense cold and turbulent Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth without finding the marked place.
• Huang Xiao realized the location might resonate with the Bronze Key and map, and took them out to use as a guide.

Huang Xiao searched the Extreme Cold Mountains for the location marked on the Map but found no clues and decided to leave. He then realized the surrounding mountains formed a grand formation that had trapped him, and he began investigating the nearest peak.

• Huang Xiao spent months cultivating in the Extreme Cold Mountains while searching for the Map's marked location, but he found nothing.
• Huang Xiao decided to search for one more month before returning to the Patriarch, and he planned to leave the mountains after three more days.
• Huang Xiao lost his bearings and suspected that a formation or other influence was disorienting him.
• Huang Xiao determined that dozens of towering snow-covered mountains surrounded him and formed part of a grand formation he would need to investigate to escape.
• Huang Xiao reached the nearest great snow-covered mountain and found its Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth rivaled a Third Layer Tier Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation.

Huang Xiao investigated the snowy mountains and found their Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth remarkably uniform, but he could not break the formation and confirmed the area did not match the map. After a bout of unstable True Qi, he recalled Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing’s account of a cultivation site and suspected a suitable place lay near the snowy mountains’ center.

• Huang Xiao examined twenty-six large snowy mountains and fifty-four small ones, finding their Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth nearly identical.
• Huang Xiao considered that Senior Longevity Daoist might have arranged the formation, but his map and Bronze Key showed no response and the surrounding peaks did not match the map.
• Huang Xiao spent ten days contemplating the formation without solving it, then noticed his True Qi becoming unstable and moved five li away from the snowy mountain.
• Huang Xiao recalled what Zhou Kemo and Sun Lanbing had said about dense Spiritual Energy near their valley and suspected there was a stable cultivation site near the center of the snowy mountains.

Huang Xiao waited in the snowy mountains for a natural Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation to appear, then watched it shift nearly ten li from its original position. As a towering phantom emerged at its center, he was left facing a new and mysterious development.

• Huang Xiao searched the snowy mountain range for a suitable place to study the formation and chose to wait at its center for the spiritual energy to gather.
• After waiting three months, Huang Xiao sensed spiritual energy surging into the area and found the natural Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation stronger than the fourth layer level.
• Huang Xiao moved five or six li from the center because the spiritual energy there was too intense for him to withstand.
• The formation shifted away from Huang Xiao over three shichen, moving nearly ten li from its original position.
• An enormous phantom appeared at the formation’s center, towering straight into the sky.