Recaps

Hong Yi faced Dalha while Meng Jiu and Liaochen fought Habibullah, and the battle grew increasingly dangerous as Hong Yi attacked with reckless abandon. Meng Jiu remained unable to help his friend and vowed to bring Habibullah down even if it cost him his life.

• Meng Jiu assigned Hong Yi to fight Dalha while he and Liaochen confronted Habibullah.
• Hong Yi and Dalha exchanged three palm strikes and retreated evenly, surprising Dalha with Hong Yi's power.
• Dalha insulted Hong Yi's late master, but Hong Yi resisted the provocation and attacked again.
• Hong Yi and Dalha traded repeated palm strikes as Hong Yi fought with such reckless fury that Dalha began to fear him.
• Meng Jiu shouted at Hong Yi, but Habibullah seized the distraction and attacked him before Liaochen intervened.
• Meng Jiu admitted he could not leave the fight to help Hong Yi and vowed to kill Habibullah even if he died.

Hong Yi used a life-burning forbidden art to regain the advantage against Dalha, but Dalha evaded him and waited for the technique to exhaust him. Meng Jiu and Liaochen fought desperately to reach Hong Yi, yet Habibullah kept them blocked.

• As Hong Yi weakened, Dalha decided to kill him before he could become a threat to the Esoteric Sect.
• Hong Yi bluffed with a weakened attack, then unleashed a forbidden art that dramatically increased his strength.
• Dalha avoided fighting Hong Yi head-on, while Hong Yi pursued him despite the forbidden art consuming his life force.
• Meng Jiu and Liaochen realized Hong Yi was in mortal danger and attacked Habibullah more fiercely.
• Habibullah blocked Meng Jiu and Liaochen, leaving them unable to reach Hong Yi.

Hong Yi exhausted himself using a Forbidden Art to wound Dalha, who moved to kill him before Dugu Sheng intervened and stabilized his True Qi. With Dugu Sheng and Li Wujing joining the battle, Hong Yi saw a better chance of defending the border pass.

• Hong Yi used his Forbidden Art to overwhelm Dalha briefly and landed several palm strikes, but his power collapsed and his injuries worsened.
• Dalha prepared to kill Hong Yi while Meng Jiu rushed to help and Liaochen held Habibullah back.
• Dugu Sheng arrived, interrupted Dalha's attack, and used his True Qi to suppress Hong Yi's rampaging energy after stopping the Forbidden Art.
• Dugu Sheng confronted Dalha as Li Wujing and two others attacked Habibullah, forcing him to retreat.

Dugu Sheng confronted Dalha and used his swift, shifting swordsmanship to overwhelm the injured Khitan State Preceptor. Hong Yi joined the fight with a surprise attack, and Dalha fled over the city wall after Dugu Sheng stabbed him in the lower abdomen.

• Dugu Sheng charged at Dalha and forced him to defend against a rapid series of changing sword moves.
• Dugu Sheng wounded Dalha's forehead and kept him on the defensive, exploiting his injured state and the speed of his swordsmanship.
• Hong Yi appeared behind Dalha and struck him, creating an opening for Dugu Sheng.
• Dugu Sheng thrust at Dalha's heart, but Dalha twisted aside and took the sword through his lower abdomen.
• Dalha leaped from the city wall to escape before Dugu Sheng could strike again.

Dugu Sheng and Hong Yi helped repel the first Khitan assault on Border Pass, but the defenders suffered heavy losses and the Jianghu fighters remained outmatched by the Esoteric Sect experts. General Yang began preparing to withdraw toward Chanzhou City, while the Khitan commanders sought an explanation for Dalha and Habibullah's defeat.

• Dugu Sheng stopped pursuing the retreating Dalha and helped stabilize Hong Yi's injuries as the Esoteric Sect experts and Khitan army withdrew under a rain of arrows.
• General Yang learned that Great Song had lost over two thousand soldiers and more than five thousand wounded in the assault, then ordered the wounded treated and the defenses reorganized.
• Hong Yi told General Yang that the Esoteric Sect experts gave the Jianghu fighters a serious disadvantage, and General Yang decided to prepare a withdrawal toward Chanzhou City.
• Meng Jiu urged the group to treat their wounded comrades first, and Dugu Sheng agreed to explain his return later.
• Xiao Dalin was shocked when Dalha and Habibullah returned in defeat, and Dalhe asked them what had happened.

Dalhe heard Dalha’s account of the battle with Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng, rebuked Dalha for accepting defeat, and warned Habibullah to fight seriously next time. He decided Xiao Chuo and Yelü Longxu should lead the campaign alongside Xiao Dalin, while Huang Xiao and the others reached Yama Ridge.

• Dalha told Dalhe that Hong Yi had formidable strength and Dugu Sheng’s swift swordsmanship had made him difficult to fight.
• Dalhe explained that Dugu Sheng might have learned the Taixuan Sword, then reprimanded Dalha for feeling relieved about being defeated by it.
• Dalhe spared Habibullah but warned him to give his utmost in the next battle.
• Dalhe told Xiao Dalin that Xiao Chuo and Yelü Longxu should lead the army, saying he wanted Xiao Dalin’s clan to become the only Xiao Clan in Khitan.
• Xiao Dalin agreed to organize another assault the following day and vowed to capture Kaifeng and the Song emperor Zhao Yuankan.
• Huang Xiao and his companions reached Gaozhou and arrived at Yama Ridge in less than a day.

Huang Xiao and his companions secretly searched the valley beneath Yama Ridge for the Seven Spirit Blades’ secret, returning to the cliff where Huang Xiao had once fallen. They entered the cave where Brother Peng had lived and found a lit stone chamber, but the secret remained undiscovered.

• Wu Longfeng agreed to have everyone search separately, with a long cry to alert the others if anyone found the secret location.
• Huang Xiao led Old Sun, Tong Jiuyang, and Duan Siping to the cliff where his fight with Zhang Ma had once sent him falling.
• The four descended the cliff and found the remains of the giant python Huang Xiao had killed years earlier.
• Huang Xiao pointed out Brother Peng’s cave, and the group climbed up to its entrance.
• Huang Xiao and his companions followed the cave passage to a stone chamber illuminated by Night Pearls.

Huang Xiao, Old Sun, Duan Siping, and Tong Jiuyang found a hidden stone door deep beneath the chamber, but they could not determine how to open it. Wu Longfeng, Wan Qingteng, Tuoba Xiongzhen, and the others arrived, revealing they had secretly followed them and would need to investigate the door together.

• Huang Xiao and the others searched the stone chamber, found nothing useful, and followed a passage down a long stairway.
• The group discovered a large underground chamber with a stone door featuring a circular recess and an oversized key-shaped groove.
• Old Sun suspected the Seven-Spirit Disc might fit the circular recess, though he could not be sure without testing it.
• Huang Xiao prepared to notify Wu Longfeng and the others, but Wan Qingteng's laughter revealed that they had been following the group.
• Wu Longfeng accused Old Sun of trying to claim the secret alone, while Tuoba Xiongzhen explained they had stayed close because they trusted Old Sun's knowledge.

Wu Longfeng and the others learned that Huang Xiao had obtained Godslayer near the cave, then agreed to assemble the Seven Spirit Blades and the Seven-Spirit Disc to unlock the secret. With Demon Slayer as the final blade, all seven were placed in the disc, leaving the group poised for what would happen next.

• Old Sun explained that Huang Xiao had found Godslayer at the bottom of the valley, not inside the cave.
• Wu Longfeng proposed gathering all seven Seven Spirit Blades and the Seven-Spirit Disc, then competing for whatever they revealed.
• Wu Longfeng placed Demon Subduer and Immortal Slayer in the disc, followed by Tuoba Xiongzhen's Earth Annihilator and Wan Qingteng's Heaven Burner.
• Old Sun and Tong Jiuyang added Godslayer and Ghost Slayer while Huang Xiao kept Demon Slayer back until the others moved away from the disc.
• Huang Xiao sent Demon Slayer into the final empty slot, completing the Seven-Spirit Disc.

Wu Longfeng and the others gathered all seven Seven Spirit Blades and placed the Seven-Spirit Disc in the stone wall, but it remained still until underground moonlight began flowing into it. After four hours the moonlight stopped, leaving everyone waiting for the secret to be revealed.

• Wu Longfeng questioned Old Sun when the Seven-Spirit Disc showed no change, and Old Sun said the time had not yet come.
• Tuoba Xiongzhen noted that the secret might only unlock on the Seventh Day of the Seventh Month, so the group waited while watching one another.
• Mu Jingfei noticed glowing lines above the disc, and Old Sun identified them as moonlight seeping underground.
• The moonlight strands entered the Seven-Spirit Disc, which filled with glowing specks and grew increasingly bright.
• After four hours the moonlight stopped flowing into the disc, and the group waited for the secret to appear.

On the Seventh Day of the Seventh Month, moonlight melted the Seven Spirit Blades into golden liquid that flowed into a key-shaped recess in the stone wall. As the liquid solidified, the wall and underground chamber began to shake, and everyone waited for the stone door to open.

• After the date changed, the Seven-Spirit Disc dimmed and its light made the Seven Spirit Blades glow gold.
• When Fang Chongyi tried to rush toward the melting blades, Old Sun stopped him, and the others warned him to stay back.
• The Seven Spirit Blades melted into golden liquid and flowed through a groove into the key-shaped recess.
• Old Sun and the others waited nearly four hours for the golden liquid to fill the recess and begin solidifying.
• Cracking sounds shook the stone wall and chamber, and Wan Qingteng worried that the underground room might collapse.

Huang Xiao and the other experts opened the stone gate and discovered a hidden valley filled with rare plants, then triggered a formation that revealed a lake, an island, and a thatched hut. The lake displayed the words “Three shichen,” leaving the group unsure what would happen next.

• The stone gate rose, revealing a passage that Wu Longfeng, Huang Xiao, and the others followed.
• Huang Xiao and the experts emerged into a secluded valley where Tuoba Xiongzhen called it a blessed land.
• Old Sun reacted strangely to the valley, and Huang Xiao silently realized it was the place connected to the Seven Spirit Blades’ secret.
• Wu Longfeng and Zhuge Zheng rushed into the valley, triggering a formation that revealed a lake with an island and a thatched hut.
• Wan Qingteng recognized the formation, and Tong Jiuyang pointed out the words “Three shichen” appearing on the lake’s surface.

The masters discovered that the formation kept them from reaching the lake and agreed they had to break it to find the secret. Tuoba Xiongzhen and Wu Longfeng turned against Old Sun and his companions, leaving the group on the brink of a fight.

• Duan Siping pointed out that the valley and the Thatched Hut might be illusions, and the group realized they had to break the formation to reach the secret.
• Tuoba Xiongzhen, Wu Longfeng, and the others entered the formation, but found that racing toward the Small Lake did not bring them any closer.
• Wan Qingteng suggested that everyone try breaking the formation separately, but Tuoba Xiongzhen said the group had too many unwanted bystanders.
• Tuoba Xiongzhen declared that Fang Chongyi and the other two were not qualified, and Wu Longfeng agreed that they should be removed.
• Wu Longfeng revealed that he had known Tuoba Xiongzhen's identity as Tu Zhangyuan and agreed to join forces with him against Old Sun and his three companions.

Wu Longfeng and Tuoba Xiongzhen joined forces against Sun Simiao’s group while trying to recruit Wan Qingteng, Mu Jingfei, and Fang Chongyi. Tuoba Xiongzhen revealed his role in past events involving Ling Tianya, and Mu Jingfei and Fang Chongyi chose to confront him themselves.

• Wu Longfeng demanded that Wan Qingteng and the others choose a side, while Tuoba Xiongzhen urged them to join him.
• Mu Jingfei rejected Tuoba Xiongzhen and accused him of betraying their past plan; Tuoba Xiongzhen defended his actions and offered Fang Chongyi power in the Heavenly Demon Sect.
• Huang Xiao confronted Tuoba Xiongzhen, who admitted that he had revealed the clue that led Ling Tianya to obtain the Ten Thousand Demons Canon.
• Wu Longfeng said he was not yet worried about Huang Xiao, but intended to eliminate him before he could become a threat to the Taixuan Sect.
• Fang Chongyi declared that he would face Tuoba Xiongzhen without relying on anyone, and Mu Jingfei joined him.
• Mu Jingfei and Fang Chongyi ended their alliance with Wan Qingteng and let him choose his own side.

Old Sun assigned opponents as the factions prepared for battle, then accused Tuoba Xiongzhen of being Tuoba Ao, the former head of the Tuoba Family. Zhuge Zheng recognized the name, while the others were left astonished as the confrontation began.

• Wan Qingteng chose to side with Wu Longfeng after Mu Jingfei and Fang Chongyi refused to join him against Old Sun.
• Tuoba Xiongzhen challenged Fang Chongyi, and Old Sun assigned Duan Siping to Zhuge Zheng, Tong Jiuyang to Wan Qingteng, Huang Xiao to Wu Longfeng, and himself to Tuoba Xiongzhen.
• Old Sun asked Mu Jingfei and Fang Chongyi to fight Gui Jiu first, but Fang Chongyi insisted on facing Tuoba Xiongzhen while Mu Jingfei agreed to confront Gui Jiu.
• Old Sun accused Tuoba Xiongzhen of being Tuoba Ao, the former head of the Tuoba Family.
• Zhuge Zheng recognized Tuoba Ao and explained that he had investigated Tuoba Xiongzhen's identity and studied the Tuoba Family genealogy.

Wu Longfeng and the others learned that Tuoba Xiongzhen was the ancient Tuoba Ao, who had survived by using the Everlasting Spring Youth-Restoring Art. Tuoba Ao revealed that he had repeatedly changed identities, while Tong Jiuyang accused Wan Qingteng of allowing the art to leak from the Medicine King Hall.

• Wu Longfeng and the others questioned how Tuoba Ao could have lived for so long, since they knew of no longevity art beyond Old Sun's.
• Old Sun explained that Tuoba Ao had faked his death and taken new identities as generations of Tuoba Family geniuses, using substituted remains to conceal the deception.
• Tuoba Ao admitted Old Sun had uncovered the truth, then changed his appearance into the young Tuoba Xing.
• Tuoba Ao revealed that he knew the Everlasting Spring Youth-Restoring Art and could restore his youth, shocking Huang Xiao and the others.
• Tong Jiuyang accused Wan Qingteng of leaking the art, but Wan Qingteng denied sharing it and said he could not account for whether one of his disciples had done so.

Old Sun revealed that Tuoba Ao had stolen the Everlasting Spring Youth-Restoring Art from Youwan, whose unhappy marriage to Tuoba Ao ended with her dying of a heavy heart. Tuoba Ao explained how a failed Rejuvenation erased his memories until Huang Xiao’s fight with him at Shaolin Temple restored them, and the chapter ended with him and Old Sun preparing to settle their feud.

• Old Sun stopped Tong Jiuyang from blaming Wan Qingteng and admitted that the cultivation method’s leak had been connected to him.
• Tuoba Ao confessed that he had deceived Youwan into revealing the Everlasting Spring Youth-Restoring Art, and Old Sun accused him of causing her death.
• Tuoba Ao explained that he had used the first realm’s nine Rejuvenations, then lost his memories after an improvised attempt at another Rejuvenation.
• Tuoba Ao said Huang Xiao had triggered the despair that restored his memories and power, and he revealed that he had killed Cao Wuxin.
• Wu Longfeng refused to back down from Tuoba Ao, and Old Sun and Tuoba Ao agreed to settle their score before time ran out.

Fang Chongyi and Sun Simiao joined forces against Tuoba Ao while Mu Jingfei and the others engaged his allies. Tuoba Ao proved strong enough to hold off both attackers and drove Fang Chongyi back repeatedly.

• Fang Chongyi attacked Tuoba Ao over their past debt, while Mu Jingfei intercepted Gui Jiu and Sun Simiao joined Fang Chongyi.
• Huang Xiao and the other two moved to fight Wu Longfeng, Zhuge Zheng, and Wan Qingteng.
• Fang Chongyi revealed the Heavenly Evil Supreme Art, and Tuoba Ao answered with the Ghost Spirit Nine Transformations Art.
• Tuoba Ao fought Fang Chongyi and Sun Simiao at once, forcing Fang Chongyi back with a palm strike.
• Tuoba Ao kicked Fang Chongyi into the ground, and Fang Chongyi retreated as Tuoba Ao's descending attack smashed the spot where he had stood.

The fighters on Mu Jingfei and Old Sun’s side struggled against Tuoba Ao and Wu Longfeng’s allies, with Tuoba Ao overwhelming Old Sun and Fang Chongyi. Tong Jiuyang pressed his advantage against Wan Qingteng and resolved to defeat him quickly so he could aid the others.

• Tuoba Ao met Old Sun head-on and kept both Old Sun and Fang Chongyi at a disadvantage.
• Mu Jingfei fought Gui Jiu and gained a slight upper hand but could not break away to help Old Sun.
• Duan Siping and Zhuge Zheng fought evenly, while Tong Jiuyang’s Supreme Yang Divine Skill suppressed Wan Qingteng and Huang Xiao faced danger against Wu Longfeng.
• Wan Qingteng recalled why he had defected from the Medicine King Hall and allied with Wu Longfeng, while dismissing Tong Jiuyang’s taunts.
• Tong Jiuyang charged Wan Qingteng again, intent on defeating him quickly and supporting the others.

Wan Qingteng and Tong Jiuyang fought in a fierce exchange, each accepting injuries to land attacks on the other. Though Wan Qingteng appeared gravely wounded, he repeatedly recovered his aura, leaving Tong Jiuyang facing another of his hidden abilities.

• Wan Qingteng charged Tong Jiuyang and met his Supreme Yang Divine Skill head-on, suffering severe damage to his arms and vomiting blood.
• Tong Jiuyang pressed his attack, but Wan Qingteng's aura surged back to its former strength and the two fought through dozens of moves.
• Wan Qingteng traded a punch to Tong Jiuyang's chest for a palm strike that sent him flying and worsened both men's injuries.
• Tong Jiuyang rushed in to finish Wan Qingteng, but Wan Qingteng smiled as his color and steady aura returned once more.

Wan Qingteng repeatedly recovered during his fight with Tong Jiuyang, forcing Tong onto the defensive, while Huang Xiao struggled against Wu Longfeng because he lacked martial experience. The chapter left Huang Xiao hoping Old Sun and Fang Chongyi could overcome Tuoba Ao so they could join forces against Wu Longfeng, though the wider battle was turning against them.

• Wan Qingteng recovered his aura and drove Tong Jiuyang back with a fierce attack, leaving Tong unable to understand how he could keep healing.
• Wan Qingteng continued trading blows with Tong Jiuyang and gained the advantage as Tong’s injuries and exhaustion worsened.
• Huang Xiao recognized that his lack of experience left openings in his techniques that Wu Longfeng could exploit.
• Wu Longfeng acknowledged that Huang Xiao had lasted longer than expected but remained confident he could defeat him.
• Huang Xiao recalled that Old Sun and Fang Chongyi were struggling against Tuoba Ao, while most of their allies were also at a disadvantage.

Huang Xiao confronted Wu Longfeng and learned that Dugu Sheng and Li Wujing had escaped the Taixuan Sect with help from an unknown expert. Huang Xiao attacked Wu Longfeng, who countered his fists with a force-dispersing palm technique and began disrupting his meridians.

• Wu Longfeng taunted Huang Xiao and confirmed that the Taixuan Sect had captured Dugu Sheng and Li Wujing after they betrayed it.
• Wu Longfeng revealed that Dugu Sheng and Li Wujing had escaped with help from an expert who defeated the Taixuan Sect's two Deputy Sect Masters.
• Huang Xiao challenged Wu Longfeng's claim that Dugu Sheng's swordsmanship was Taixuan Sword Swordsmanship, saying Dugu Sheng had created it himself.
• Huang Xiao charged Wu Longfeng and struck with Heavenly Demon Subduing Tiger Fist, but Wu Longfeng met his fists with both palms.
• Wu Longfeng dispersed Huang Xiao's fist force and sent Palm Force into his meridians, leaving Huang Xiao struggling against the assault.

Huang Xiao used his knowledge of Wu Longfeng’s priorities to survive their fight, while Duan Siping briefly distracted Wu Longfeng during his own battle with Zhuge Zheng. The surrounding clashes continued, and Tuoba Ao struck Fang Chongyi hard enough to send him flying.

• Huang Xiao shattered the Taixuan True Qi in his meridians with Heavenly Demon True Qi and forced Wu Longfeng back.
• Huang Xiao feigned an opening to make Wu Longfeng hesitate, then taunted him for showing fear.
• Wu Longfeng intensified his assault, forcing Huang Xiao to defend as he retreated.
• Duan Siping fired Five-Elements Divine Finger sword qi at Wu Longfeng to ease the pressure on Huang Xiao, and Wu Longfeng blocked it.
• Zhuge Zheng berated Duan Siping for interfering, then charged at him again.
• Tuoba Ao punched Fang Chongyi in the chest and sent him flying.

Sun Simiao and Fang Chongyi fought Tuoba Ao, but his superior techniques overwhelmed them both. The chapter left Fang Chongyi injured and Tuoba Ao forced to retreat after Sun Simiao intervened, with Tuoba Ao still intent on killing them.

• Sun Simiao attacked Tuoba Ao, who broke through his strikes with White Bone Ghost Claw and wounded him with Soul-Severing Finger and Force-Shifting Position Exchange.
• Fang Chongyi attacked Tuoba Ao from behind, but Tuoba Ao evaded him and seized him by the neck.
• Fang Chongyi slipped free using his Heavenly Evil Supreme Art and kicked at Tuoba Ao's Dantian, but Tuoba Ao easily blocked the attack.
• Tuoba Ao seized Fang Chongyi's lower leg and prepared to cripple it, but Sun Simiao attacked from behind and forced him to retreat.
• Sun Simiao caught Fang Chongyi, who said he was fine despite his injured leg, while Tuoba Ao faced them with murderous intent.

Mu Jingfei fought Gui Jiu, who turned the tide with the Ghost Spirit Nine Transformations Art and White Bone Ghost Claw. Mu Jingfei then vanished from Gui Jiu’s sight and struck his waist, forcing him back five steps.

• Fang Chongyi stopped the bleeding in his calf, while Tuoba Ao taunted Sun Simiao and scolded Gui Jiu for struggling against Mu Jingfei.
• Mu Jingfei mocked Gui Jiu and attacked, but Gui Jiu used his deathly true qi to wither Mu Jingfei’s meridians and drive him back with powerful claw strikes.
• Gui Jiu gained the upper hand and pressed Mu Jingfei backward with the White Bone Ghost Claw, while Mu Jingfei remained uninjured and gradually stopped retreating.
• Mu Jingfei declared the fight over, vanished just as Gui Jiu clawed at his head, then blocked Gui Jiu’s attempt to escape and struck his waist with palm force.
• Gui Jiu grunted and retreated five steps after Mu Jingfei’s sudden palm strike.