Recaps

As Jiang Hengdao’s formation opened a pitch-black hole in the sky, the Ancient World’s spiritual energy of heaven and earth began pouring into it. Huang Xiao questioned the assumption that the other world still had abundant spiritual energy, leaving the group uncertain about what awaited them beyond the breach.

• Ao Zhen and the others waited as cracks spread across the sky and Jiang Hengdao’s formation neared completion.
• The sky shattered into a pitch-black hole that drew the Ancient World’s spiritual energy upward with immense force.
• Zhao Yunhui and Huo Lian observed that most of the energy was being transported through the hole rather than consumed by Jiang Hengdao’s formation.
• Zhao Yunhui questioned why no spiritual energy seemed to be spilling into the Ancient World from the other side, and the group considered possible explanations.
• Huang Xiao suggested they might be mistaken to assume the other world still had abundant spiritual energy, since its condition could have changed since Ji Xuanying’s father left it.

Huang Xiao and the others watched the Otherworld’s aura suppress their strength as Jiang Hengdao’s Vortex Grand Formation continued to grow, leaving them unable to intervene. Xuan Yuanjun said they would have to face the formation directly, and the group braced for the coming danger while urging one another to survive.

• Huang Xiao suspected the Otherworld’s spiritual energy was thinner than the Ancient World’s, and the others agreed they would have to wait for the barrier to break to learn the truth.
• Huang Xiao drew inspiration from the great devouring hole for his Dantian as the Sea as the Otherworld’s aura intensified and suppressed everyone’s internal power.
• Ao Zhen and the others feared their usable strength would fall below half, while Zuo Qiu Shu worried about Zuo Qiu Yi and the group wondered how the aura affected Jiang Hengdao.
• Shentu Kuanglang and the others struggled to sustain their small inscribed formation as they could wield barely forty percent of their strength.
• Xuan Yuanjun told everyone to prepare to face the Vortex Grand Formation directly and to help anyone who could not hold out.
• Feng Qilou told Ye Nishang that he would not die after she ordered him to survive, and Fu Beiwang realized she returned Feng Qilou’s feelings.

With the Small Inscribed Formation broken and their internal power suppressed, Xuan Yuanjun and the others struggled to withstand the Vortex Grand Formation. They agreed to combine their strength using a method adapted from Zhao Yunhui's technique, and Xuan Yuanjun quickly devised one as their danger deepened.

• The Small Inscribed Formation shattered, exposing everyone to the Vortex Grand Formation's attacks.
• Xuan Yuanjun stayed beside Zhu Qingquan to protect him despite the Demon God's warning, while the group struggled against the growing pressure.
• Zuo Qiu Yi urged everyone to stop resisting separately, and Xuan Yuanjun agreed that they should join forces.
• The group considered adapting Zhao Yunhui's Blade and Sword Combined Strike Technique, though Shentu Kuanglang doubted it would work for them.
• Xuan Yuanjun used the technique's principles to devise a combined strike method suited to the group.

Xuan Yuanjun organized a Combined Strike Formation to help the trapped fighters withstand the Vortex Grand Formation, but the formation began drawing on the essence blood of those killed in Jiang Hengdao’s Blood Sacrifice. Outside the formation, Huang Xiao realized the essence blood aura was not fully bound and suggested they might still be able to interfere with Jiang Hengdao’s plans.

• Xuan Yuanjun explained the Combined Strike Formation and directed the fighters to stabilize their auras, eventually raising their combined power above what they could manage separately.
• Xuan Yuanjun warned that their strength was still being suppressed and that the Vortex Grand Formation continued to grow stronger.
• Xuan Yuanjun and the others detected blood in the Vortex Grand Formation and concluded that Jiang Hengdao’s formations were gathering essence blood from people killed in the Blood Sacrifice.
• Ao Zhen, Zhao Yunhui, and the others saw essence blood aura gathering at the Creation Sect and reasoned that Jiang Hengdao intended to use it for himself rather than to break the barrier between the two worlds.
• Huang Xiao said the essence blood aura was not completely bound by the formation and suggested they could still affect it.

Huang Xiao and his allies used Zhao Yunhui’s formation to draw essence blood aura out of the Creation Sect and keep it from Jiang Hengdao. The formation worked, but Jiang Hengdao still obtained most of the aura, leaving Huang Xiao searching for a way to reduce his share.

• Huang Xiao realized the essence blood aura was less restrained by the fully activated grand formation, and Zhao Yunhui agreed that her formation could draw it out.
• Zhao Yunhui and the Zhu Family’s master forgers modified the Inscribed Formation, causing essence blood aura to pour out of the Creation Sect toward Huang Xiao.
• Huang Xiao devoured the aura and stored what he could in his dantian, while the others also tried to make use of it.
• Huang Xiao estimated that only one-tenth of the aura was escaping and wanted to increase that amount, but Zhao Yunhui said her formation had reached its limit.
• Wu Xuancang and Zuo Qiu Shu urged Huang Xiao not to push himself as he pondered what else he could do.

Huang Xiao discovered a mysterious resonance between his Dantian as the Sea and the pitch-black hole, greatly increasing his ability to devour escaping essence blood aura. He managed to prompt the hole to try devouring essence blood bound within Jiang Hengdao’s formation, but it failed, and Huang Xiao searched for another way.

• Ao Zhen, Huo Lian, Baili Zhen, Tan Ming, Huang Xiao, and Zuo Qiu Shu discussed whether the immense essence blood aura could affect Jiang Hengdao, but his calm left them without hope of forcing him out.
• Huang Xiao watched the pitch-black hole and the formation, then unknowingly matched his dantian’s devouring rhythm to the hole’s.
• Huang Xiao sensed a connection between his dantian and the pitch-black hole, entered a state of insight, and began devouring all the essence blood aura that escaped.
• Huang Xiao strengthened the resonance and guided the pitch-black hole to try devouring essence blood aura bound within the Creation Sect’s formation.
• The pitch-black hole failed to draw in the bound aura, and Huang Xiao decided there must still be another way.

Huang Xiao discovered a way to influence the pitch-black hole by mixing essence-blood aura with Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth, allowing him to divert much of the aura away from Jiang Hengdao. After confirming that Jiang Hengdao had run into trouble, Huang Xiao left the others wondering how he knew.

• Huang Xiao began devouring Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth alongside the essence-blood aura and transmitted the mixed sensation to the pitch-black hole.
• After nearly an hour, the pitch-black hole began devouring the mixture, drawing essence-blood aura through Jiang Hengdao's formation.
• Huang Xiao's method accelerated until he intercepted roughly half of the essence-blood aura, leaving Jiang Hengdao with much less.
• Ao Zhen and the others noticed fluctuations in Jiang Hengdao's formation, and Huo Lian suggested that Jiang Hengdao had run into trouble.
• Huang Xiao agreed that Jiang Hengdao's trouble could now be confirmed, surprising Ao Zhen and the others.

Huang Xiao and the others watched Jiang Hengdao struggle to restrain the essence blood surging from the Creation Sect's Grand Formation into the pitch-black hole. As the flow grew stronger again, Huang Xiao realized Jiang Hengdao was losing control and taunted him.

• Huo Lian concealed the connection between Huang Xiao and the pitch-black hole, then explained that a vast amount of essence blood was rising with the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth.
• Wu Xuancang, Zuo Qiu Shu, Zhao Yunhui, and the others realized the Grand Formation was leaking far more essence blood than they had expected.
• Zhao Yunhui and Huo Lian concluded that Jiang Hengdao could not stop most of the essence blood from draining away, while the group had to wait because the formation still held.
• Huang Xiao sensed Jiang Hengdao's restraint briefly slowed the pitch-black hole's devouring, but the growing flow from the other formations soon made it surge faster again.
• Huang Xiao laughed and taunted Jiang Hengdao, and the others joined in by shouting and gloating.

Jiang Hengdao trapped Huang Xiao and the others in a killing formation linked to the Sea Vortex Grand Formation, forcing them to endure its attacks while he diverted power from the formation threatening Xuanyuan Jun and the others. As the group struggled against the spiritual energy and heaven and earth origin flame, Huang Xiao asked Yunhui to let the Minghong Saber in.

• Huang Xiao, Huo Lian, and the others mocked Jiang Hengdao, and he responded angrily before trapping them in a formation.
• Jiang Hengdao said they could set off together with Xuanyuan Jun and the others as streams of force and heaven and earth origin flame attacked the group.
• Zhao Yunhui explained that Jiang Hengdao had linked the formation to the Sea Vortex Grand Formation and diverted power from both that formation and the Creation Sect's grand formation.
• Zuo Qiu Shu learned that her big brother and the others faced the full power of the Sea Vortex Grand Formation, while the group tried to hold out and buy them time.
• Huang Xiao said the Phoenix Clan members could absorb only some of the origin flame and asked Yunhui to let the Minghong Saber in.

Huang Xiao and his allies brought divine weapons into the formation to consume the Heaven and Earth Origin Flame, weakening the threat it posed. Huang Xiao discovered that the flame counteracted the otherworldly aura’s suppression and began storing it, while Xuan Yuanjun and the others remained unaware of the discovery.

• Huo Lian and Zhao Yunhui brought the divine weapons through the formation, despite the risk of weakening the Inscribed Formation.
• The Heaven and Earth Origin Flame rapidly tempered the weapons, and Huang Xiao learned that it weakened the Supreme Demon Saber’s suppression by the otherworldly aura.
• Huang Xiao tested the flame on himself, found that it eased his suppression, and asked Demon Phoenix to store it in the saber.
• Huang Xiao had Zhao Yunhui bring in the Seven Great Treasures so they could store more Heaven and Earth Origin Flame as the black hole devoured Jiang Hengdao’s essence blood aura.
• Huo Lian kept the discovery secret for a final confrontation, while Zhao Yunhui could not send word to Xuan Yuanjun and the others, who had not noticed the flame’s effect.

Jiang Hengdao struggled to control the rapidly draining essence blood aura and decided to weaken his Cross-Realm Grand Formation to stop the loss. The pitch-black hole then devoured far less essence blood aura, surprising Huang Xiao and the others even as the formation continued to threaten them.

• Jiang Hengdao grew alarmed as the pitch-black hole drew essence blood aura away faster than he could restrain it.
• Jiang Hengdao decided that preserving the essence blood aura mattered more than maintaining the full strength of his Cross-Realm Grand Formation, and he weakened it.
• Huang Xiao noticed the pitch-black hole's consumption plunge from about seventy percent to roughly thirty percent and realized Jiang Hengdao had intervened.
• Ao Zhen and the others noticed that the essence blood aura in the Creation Sect had almost stopped draining, though the formation still threatened them.

Jiang Hengdao stopped the essence blood aura from leaking by weakening the Creation Sect’s formation, giving Huang Xiao and the others temporary relief while worsening their own predicament. The divine weapons took over the defense so the exhausted experts could recover, but after half an hour they began to falter.

• You Lian'er, Huo Lian, and Zhao Yunhui concluded that Jiang Hengdao had stopped the essence blood aura from draining, but weakened the Creation Sect’s formation to do so.
• Huo Lian and Zhao Yunhui explained that the weakened formation gave Huang Xiao’s group a better chance to survive, though Jiang Hengdao could still break through the barrier between the two worlds and suffer a greater backlash.
• Huang Xiao and the others continued resisting the formation as the pitch-black hole devoured spiritual energy, leaving them increasingly weak despite Zhao Yunhui’s Combined Strike Method.
• Demon Phoenix said the divine weapons could hold off the formation while the exhausted fighters recovered, and Huang Xiao arranged for them to withdraw gradually.
• Ao Zhen and the other experts eventually rested as Demon Phoenix and the remaining divine weapons defended them, but half an hour later Huang Xiao saw that the divine weapons could no longer hold on.

Huang Xiao and the others struggled to hold back the formation as the Divine Weapons grew stronger and their own power waned. The hole between worlds opened to reveal a barren, energy-starved land, leaving Jiang Hengdao roaring in disbelief and the others unsure whether he had truly succeeded.

• Huang Xiao and the Divine Weapons took turns resisting the formation as the growing Otherworldly Aura weakened Huang Xiao and the others while strengthening most of the Divine Weapons.
• After three days and nights, Dugu Sheng asked how much longer the formation would last, and Zuo Qiu Shu worried about her big brother’s situation.
• The pitch-black hole shook, and Huang Xiao lost his mysterious connection to it as the others suspected Jiang Hengdao was close to succeeding.
• A flash transformed the hole into a window onto a barren, desolate world with little Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth.
• Jiang Hengdao roared in disbelief from the Creation Sect, while Xiao Yan wondered whether Jiang Hengdao had failed.

Jiang Hengdao drove the Grand Formation to its breaking point while searching for the Immortal Realm, and its collapse freed Huang Xiao and the others from the formation trapping them. As they charged toward Jiang Hengdao, their internal power was suddenly suppressed, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Huo Lian explained that the realm Jiang Hengdao had reached was likely barren of spiritual energy, confirming that his decades of scheming had failed.
• Jiang Hengdao forced the Grand Formation to increase its power, nearly overwhelming Huang Xiao, Huo Lian, Ao Zhen, and the others.
• Huang Xiao prepared to use the origin flame to help everyone endure, but the formation collapsed before he could explain.
• Zhao Yunhui pointed out that the Creation Sect's formation had also collapsed, revealing Jiang Hengdao standing on the Main Hall roof.
• Ao Zhen led everyone in a charge toward Jiang Hengdao, but their internal power was suddenly suppressed and several people fell.

Huang Xiao and the others learned that Jiang Hengdao’s collapsed grand formation had opened a passage between the worlds, causing the otherworldly aura to suppress their strength more severely by the moment. As Xuan Yuanjun prepared to lead the injured elders against Jiang Hengdao, Huang Xiao offered a way to weaken the suppression.

• Ao Zhen and the others struggled under the intensifying suppression, and Xuan Yuanjun’s group arrived safely behind Huang Xiao’s party.
• Xuan Yuanjun explained that Jiang Hengdao’s collapsed formation had broken the barrier between the worlds, letting the otherworldly aura suppress everyone more powerfully.
• Zuo Qiu Yi and the others warned that even the elders’ strength beyond the Desolate Realm was being reduced, while Jiang Hengdao could still wield power above it.
• The Demon God urged the group to attack, but agreed to let Xuan Yuanjun lead as the elders prepared to fight Jiang Hengdao.
• Xuan Yuanjun told Huang Xiao’s group to stay back, and Huang Xiao offered a method to weaken the suppression affecting the elders.

Huang Xiao revealed that origin flame could weaken the otherworldly aura’s suppression of internal power and shared the flame he had stored so Xuan Yuanjun, the Demon God, and the others could strengthen themselves. Jiang Hengdao watched them prepare, then confronted the survivors, who taunted him over his failed plans and the realm he had hoped to enter.

• Huang Xiao explained that tempering the body with origin flame could weaken the otherworldly aura’s suppression of internal power, and said he had stored some.
• Huang Xiao recounted how he had collected origin flames, earning praise from the Demon God and the others.
• Xuan Yuanjun, the Demon God, Ji Xuanying, and the others used Huang Xiao’s stored origin flame to temper themselves, but it ran out within minutes.
• Jiang Hengdao asked whether they were ready to fight and dismissed their increased strength as insignificant.
• Xuan Yuanjun and the Demon God mocked Jiang Hengdao over his failed attempt to enter the realm and his unfulfilled blood sacrifice, and Jiang Hengdao laughed derangedly, saying he needed an outlet.

Huang Xiao and the others watched Senior Xuanyuan’s group fight Jiang Hengdao while the Otherworldly Aura continued to intensify. Leng Guhan explained that Jiang Hengdao intended to perfect his Ruthlessness Dao by prolonging their suffering, and Huang Xiao urged his companions to prepare for their chance to fight.

• Huang Xiao reasoned that Senior Xuanyuan had saved some Origin Flame because he expected the younger fighters might later join the battle.
• Senior Xuanyuan and his companions engaged Jiang Hengdao, who calmly countered them as their battle reduced the Creation Sect’s buildings to rubble.
• Leng Guhan said Jiang Hengdao was keeping his opponents alive to perfect the Ruthlessness Dao and overcome its backlash.
• Tan Ming and Zuo Qiu Shu argued that unexpected events could still give them hope, while Baili Zhen doubted their chances against Jiang Hengdao.
• Huang Xiao told the others to prepare, saying they might still have a chance to fight when Senior Xuanyuan’s group could no longer hold out.

Jiang Hengdao continued to dominate Xuan Yuanjun and the others despite the growing suppression of the otherworldly aura, while they searched for a way to overcome him. Xuan Yuanjun hinted that they still had another move to make as the battle continued.

• Baili Zhen questioned whether the otherworldly aura could keep weakening Jiang Hengdao, and Huang Xiao urged the others to hold on to hope.
• Jiang Hengdao easily repelled the Demon God, stopped his punch with one finger, and evaded his barrage of attacks.
• The Demon God summoned the Supreme Demon Saber, but its strike still failed to injure Jiang Hengdao, who said he had a weapon of his own but would not need it against them.
• Xun Wuying obtained Dragon Fang, though he was frustrated that the Evil Blades no longer seemed closely connected to him.
• As the otherworldly aura intensified and weakened the fighters, Jiang Hengdao taunted Xuan Yuanjun, who said they had not yet reached the point of spending their essence blood and looked up at the sky.

Xuan Yuanjun led the others in enlarging the great hole in the sky to draw in more otherworldly aura and suppress Jiang Hengdao. Jiang Hengdao tried to stop them, but the group kept him occupied while continuing their assault.

• Xuan Yuanjun dismissed Jiang Hengdao’s taunts and urged the Demon God and the others to take a gamble by attacking the great hole.
• Xuan Yuanjun led everyone into the sky, where they bombarded the opening and caused it to expand.
• Jiang Hengdao rushed to stop them, but Xuan Yuanjun sent Chiyou and Ji Xuanying to hold him off while the others continued attacking.
• Jiang Hengdao sent the three defenders flying, then charged toward Zuo Qiu Yi’s group, but Shentu Kuanglang ordered them to scatter.
• Jiang Hengdao turned back to attack Xuan Yuanjun and his companions, who evaded him and kept bombarding the opening as the otherworldly pressure increased.

Xuan Yuanjun and his allies exploited the growing otherworldly aura to erode Jiang Hengdao’s strength and narrow the gap between them. The great hole stopped expanding, but the aura kept intensifying, and the chapter ended with Huang Xiao and the others studying the fighters’ techniques as Jiang Hengdao faced Xuan Yuanjun, the Demon God, and Ji Xuanying.

• Jiang Hengdao found his strength increasingly suppressed, while Xuan Yuanjun and the others avoided his attacks and waited for the otherworldly aura to weaken him further.
• Xuan Yuanjun explained that the aura’s suppression of his allies had nearly reached its limit, while Jiang Hengdao would continue to lose more of his advantage.
• Jiang Hengdao turned toward Ji Shidao and the others, prompting Xuan Yuanjun, the Demon God, and Ji Xuanying to attack him and give their companions time to retreat.
• Jiang Hengdao threatened to kill the others if the trio kept dodging, then claimed the great hole had reached its expansion limit and that his internal power remained far stronger than theirs.
• Ji Xuanying rejected Jiang Hengdao’s offer to renew their former bond, and the Demon God challenged him as the fight resumed.
• Huang Xiao and the others watched Jiang Hengdao and his opponents’ techniques closely, hoping to learn from their exchanges.

Jiang Hengdao severely injured Ji Xuanying and the Demon God, then pursued Xuan Yuanjun as he tried to protect the others. After Xuan Yuanjun’s surprise attack failed, Jiang Hengdao caught his arm and stopped his Palm Force from erupting.

• Ji Xuanying took Jiang Hengdao’s palm strike and withdrew with serious injuries after Xuan Yuanjun interrupted him.
• The Demon God attacked Jiang Hengdao, but Jiang Hengdao used a formation trick to strike him in the back and badly wound him.
• Jiang Hengdao threatened to target the others, forcing Xuan Yuanjun to stop fleeing and face him.
• Xuan Yuanjun endured Jiang Hengdao’s attacks while the others watched, and Jiang Hengdao decided he could kill him within three moves.
• Xuan Yuanjun rushed Jiang Hengdao with a palm strike, but Jiang Hengdao seized his arm and prevented his Palm Force from breaking through.

Jiang Hengdao tried to tear off Xuan Yuanjun’s limbs to advance his Ruthlessness Dao, but Zuo Qiu Yi and Ao Zhen intervened and helped turn the fight into a three-on-one battle. As Jiang Hengdao realized the Martial World aura was suppressing him more than it suppressed them, the group kept pressing their advantage.

• Jiang Hengdao restrained Xuan Yuanjun and prepared to tear off his limbs, hoping the torture would advance his Ruthlessness Dao.
• Xuan Yuanjun chose to sever his own arm, but Zuo Qiu Yi and Ao Zhen attacked Jiang Hengdao and forced him to release Xuan Yuanjun.
• Zuo Qiu Yi and Ao Zhen joined Xuan Yuanjun in attacking Jiang Hengdao, giving Xuan Yuanjun room to recover and easing the pressure on him.
• Jiang Hengdao’s strength continued to decline, and he realized that Zuo Qiu Yi was less affected by the aura because he came from the Martial World.
• Jiang Hengdao concluded that Ao Zhen’s divine-beast nature helped him resist the suppression, while Jiang Hengdao’s essence blood from devouring others did not.

Xuan Yuanjun, Zuo Qiu Yi, and Ao Yuan fought Jiang Hengdao while the others watched the growing suppression of his power. Zuo Qiu Yi grew suspicious when Jiang Hengdao repeatedly held back, and after Jiang Hengdao seized him but released him, he demanded to know why he had been spared.

• Jiang Hengdao recognized Zuo Qiu Yi as the opposing side’s trump card, while Xuan Yuanjun kept Huang Xiao and the others hidden from his attention.
• Zuo Qiu Yi charged Jiang Hengdao with Ao Yuan and Xuan Yuanjun, despite the Demon God warning him to wait until Jiang Hengdao weakened further.
• Zuo Qiu Yi and Ao Yuan were wounded as the three fighters took turns holding Jiang Hengdao off, while Zuo Qiu Yi wondered why Jiang Hengdao had not tried to take his longevity true qi.
• Huo Lian, Zuo Qiu Shu, Ao Zhen, Leng Guhan, and Huang Xiao suspected Jiang Hengdao was holding back and wondered whether he had another plan connected to the Ruthlessness Dao.
• Jiang Hengdao seized Zuo Qiu Yi’s wrist, then laughed and released him as Ao Yuan and Xuan Yuanjun attacked from behind.
• Zuo Qiu Yi retreated and asked Jiang Hengdao why he had spared him when he could have killed him.

Jiang Hengdao fought Xuan Yuanjun, Zuo Qiu Yi, the Demon God, and Ji Xuanying while the otherworldly aura suppressed his power, but the five still could not overcome him. The chapter ended with Jiang Hengdao catching the Demon God’s full-force strike, wrenching away the Supreme Demon Saber, and injuring the Demon God’s hand.

• Jiang Hengdao claimed he was waiting for the otherworldly aura to weaken before killing his opponents and taking Zuo Qiu Yi’s Longevity True Qi.
• The Demon God and Ji Xuanying joined Xuan Yuanjun, Zuo Qiu Yi, and the others in attacking Jiang Hengdao, but the five remained at a disadvantage.
• Huang Xiao and the others watched the growing hole in the sky, hoping it would last long enough for the otherworldly aura to weaken Jiang Hengdao further.
• Xuan Yuanjun noticed Jiang Hengdao’s aura becoming disordered, and Jiang Hengdao admitted the five-way attack was putting him under pressure.
• The Demon God charged Jiang Hengdao with the Supreme Demon Saber, but Jiang Hengdao caught the blade barehanded, flung the saber underground, and damaged the Demon God’s hand.

Jiang Hengdao attacked the Demon God after disabling the Supreme Demon Saber's soul, but the Demon God's powerful body let him survive their clash and injure Jiang Hengdao in return. As the otherworldly aura increasingly suppressed Jiang Hengdao, Xuan Yuanjun and the others pressed their advantage, and Ao Yuan finally knocked Jiang Hengdao backward with a powerful leg strike.

• Jiang Hengdao rushed the Demon God, whose punch met Jiang Hengdao's heart strike and sent both men reeling with injuries.
• The Demon God explained that his body was naturally powerful, while Jiang Hengdao's depended on Longevity True Qi.
• The Demon God summoned the awakened Supreme Demon Saber and joined Xuan Yuanjun and the others in attacking Jiang Hengdao.
• After more than two hours of fighting, Jiang Hengdao shifted to defense as the otherworldly aura weakened him and the others grew stronger.
• Ao Yuan struck Jiang Hengdao with his powerful leg, knocking him backward, and challenged him to see how much longer he could hold out.