Recaps

After learning that the Khitan army had forced the defenders back to Chanzhou City and left Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng gravely wounded, Huang Xiao set off to reinforce them. The group postponed discussing the Seven Spirit Blades secret, and Huang Xiao left the Minghong Saber with Qingfeng before departing Kaifeng.

• Zhao Yuankan told Huang Xiao that the Khitan army had driven the defenders back to Chanzhou City, where Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng were too badly injured to fight.
• Huang Xiao decided to go to Chanzhou immediately, while Old Sun argued that Kaifeng still needed experts to guard it.
• Zhao Yuankan said he might lead the army to Chanzhou, and Old Sun supported the idea as a way to reassure the people.
• Huang Xiao postponed discussing the Seven Spirit Blades secret and entrusted the Minghong Saber to Qingfeng because he could not wield it effectively.
• Huang Xiao left the Imperial Palace alone and headed for Chanzhou.

Huang Xiao raced toward Chanzhou City, hoping his grandfather would reach Khitan and stop Dalhe. As the Khitan army stirred, General Yang, Meng Jiu, and Liaochen prepared to defend the city, then noticed Dalhe approaching in apparent fear.

• Huang Xiao used Heaven and Earth Momentum to speed his journey and estimated he would reach Chanzhou City in four hours.
• General Yang worried that Chanzhou City could not withstand another Khitan assault with Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng badly wounded and Dalhe among the enemy.
• General Yang ordered the defenders to prepare as the Khitan army appeared to move, while Meng Jiu and Liaochen refused to abandon the city.
• Liaochen noticed that the Khitan army seemed disorganized rather than ready to attack, and General Yang and Meng Jiu prepared for any possibility.
• Dalhe rushed toward the city, but General Yang observed that he looked terrified.

Huang Xiao infiltrated the Khitan army’s Command Tent, killed Xiao Dalin and his generals, then sensed a powerful presence elsewhere and broke out of the tent. The disturbance alerted the surrounding army as Huang Xiao moved toward the newly noticed experts.

• Huang Xiao slipped into the Khitan Command Tent and confronted Xiao Dalin and the generals protecting him.
• Huang Xiao killed the generals and seized Xiao Dalin, ignoring the experts’ threats and their warning about Dalhe.
• Huang Xiao crushed Xiao Dalin’s neck and told the three arriving experts to claim that a Song Army crossbow had killed him.
• Huang Xiao sensed powerful experts nearby, blasted the three Esoteric Sect experts away, and shattered the Command Tent.
• The disturbance drew the attention of Khitan experts and soldiers throughout the surrounding army.

Huang Xiao defeated Dalhe in their brief clash, and Dalhe fled as Huang Xiao pursued him. News that Marshal Xiao Dalin and the generals were dead threw the Khitan army into chaos.

• Huang Xiao sent the three Esoteric Sect experts flying, then confronted Dalhe as he arrived.
• Huang Xiao struck Dalhe and hurled him backward, revealing his overwhelming strength.
• Dalhe fled, and Huang Xiao pursued him using the Lingbo Ethereal Steps.
• Khitan officers and soldiers reacted in shock as Dalhe ran from Huang Xiao.
• A soldier announced that Xiao Dalin and the generals were dead, plunging the Khitan army's morale into chaos.

Huang Xiao pursued Dalhe to Chanzhou City, where Dalhe tried to seize Meng Jiu or Liaochen to use as hostages. Huang Xiao used his newly gained control over heaven and earth momentum to stop Dalhe and defeat him, revealing that he had entered the Half-Step Martial Realm.

• The defenders of Chanzhou City recognized Dalhe fleeing toward them with Huang Xiao in pursuit and prepared to defend the walls.
• Dalhe ignored the arrows and siege crossbows as he approached, intending to capture Meng Jiu or Liaochen and threaten Huang Xiao.
• Huang Xiao controlled the heaven and earth momentum around Dalhe, slowing him and catching up before he could reach the city wall.
• Dalhe turned to fight, but Huang Xiao struck him with a fist and sent him crashing into the wall.
• Dalhe realized Huang Xiao had broken through to the Martial Realm, while Huang Xiao explained that Dalhe's realm was not high enough.

Huang Xiao defeated Dalhe but agreed to spare him so Hong Yi could challenge him to a duel. The chapter left Dalhe bound to fight Hong Yi in three years, while Huang Xiao stayed out of their contest and the Khitan threat appeared likely to fade.

• Dalhe accepted that Wu Longfeng was dead and asked Huang Xiao to let him witness the Martial Realm's power before dying.
• Hong Yi called from the city wall and asked Huang Xiao to spare Dalhe so he could defeat him himself.
• Huang Xiao agreed to let Dalhe go on the condition that he fought Hong Yi in a life-or-death match.
• Hong Yi set the duel for three years later, and Dalhe accepted while also challenging Huang Xiao to fight him afterward.
• Huang Xiao said he would not interfere, and General Yang realized that the Khitan army would likely withdraw after Dalhe fled.

Huang Xiao returned to Chanzhou and treated Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng, while Hong Yi explained that he had challenged Dalhe to force himself to grow despite having no confidence. After Zhao Yuankan arrived with the Song army and the Khitan forces withdrew, the Khitan envoy came to discuss a possible peace treaty.

• Huang Xiao examined Hong Yi’s severe injuries and agreed to treat him, then learned that Dugu Sheng had suffered similar wounds fighting Dalhe.
• Hong Yi admitted he had no confidence against Dalhe and had set a three-year deadline to pressure himself into improving; Meng Jiu and the others questioned his decision.
• Dugu Sheng arrived and asked whether Huang Xiao had reached the Martial Realm, but Huang Xiao postponed the discussion to treat him and Hong Yi.
• Huang Xiao told General Yang that he had killed Xiao Dalin, that Ling Tianya had returned to Khitan, and that Zhao Yuankan was leading an army to Chanzhou.
• The Khitan army withdrew, and Zhao Yuankan arrived as the city’s defenders and residents celebrated his arrival; Huang Xiao finished stabilizing Hong Yi’s and Dugu Sheng’s injuries.
• Zhao Yuankan told Huang Xiao that a Khitan envoy had arrived, and Huang Xiao asked whether the envoy had come to negotiate a peace treaty.

After securing peace between Great Song, the Khitan, and Xiazhou, Huang Xiao appointed Li Wujing as the Taixuan Sect’s new Sect Master and prepared to marry four women in a grand wedding. Just as he set out for Kaifeng, the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse struck him with severe pain, and he suspected Tuoba Ao was responsible.

• Zhao Yuankan and Huang Xiao agreed that Great Song would sign a ceasefire treaty with the Khitan, while Huang Xiao declined to attend the negotiations.
• Huang Xiao told Li Wujing that Wu Longfeng was dead and that Li Wujing would become the Taixuan Sect’s new Sect Master.
• Li Wujing accepted the position, determined to rescue his master and punish the elders who had framed him.
• Huang Xiao planned to return to Kaifeng and marry Zhao Yuankan’s two sisters, Xiao Yan, and You Lian’er.
• As Huang Xiao prepared to leave Chanzhou City, the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse caused him intense pain, and he suspected Tuoba Ao had triggered it.
• Great Song and the Khitan signed the Chanyuan Covenant, and the three countries began preparations for Huang Xiao’s grand wedding.

Huang Xiao and You Lian'er named his unfinished flute piece “Bright Moon Tide-Rising Song” before Old Sun summoned him to his bedside. Old Sun revealed that Huang Xiao’s Demon-Ghost Blood Curse remained undispelled and was draining his life, leaving Huang Xiao’s wives to face the danger as the chapter ended.

• Huang Xiao and You Lian'er discussed his flute tune and named it “Bright Moon Tide-Rising Song.”
• Xiao Yan summoned Huang Xiao to Old Sun’s quarters, where Old Sun lay gravely ill after losing his cultivation.
• Old Sun recalled his past with You Lian'er's ancestor Wan'er and urged Huang Xiao to cherish his four wives.
• Old Sun revealed that Qingfeng had told him about Huang Xiao’s Demon-Ghost Blood Curse, which Huang Xiao had kept secret from his wives.
• Old Sun inferred from Huang Xiao’s recent behavior and the lack of pregnancies that the curse was harming Huang Xiao’s body and consuming his life force.
• Huang Xiao admitted that he had not dispelled the curse, while Old Sun said he had no solution and feared Huang Xiao would not survive much longer.

Huang Xiao learned that the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse would kill him within a year unless he found help in the Martial World. He decided to go there, and Old Sun died after urging him to live on.

• Huang Xiao told Qingfeng, Old Sun, and the four women that the curse was worsening and he had at most a year to live.
• Old Sun and Qingfeng advised Huang Xiao to seek experts in the Martial World, where someone might be able to dispel the curse.
• Xiao Yan spoke for the four women and urged Huang Xiao to go, promising they would reach the half-step martial realm and join him.
• Huang Xiao accepted that he would go to the Martial World and promised Old Sun he would keep living for the women.
• Old Sun asked to be cremated and buried with Wan'er, then died as You Lian'er and the others grieved.

After Old Sun died, Huang Xiao prepared to leave for the Martial World in search of a way to dispel the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse. He entrusted his cultivation methods to his loved ones, and they decided to establish a sect to pass them on while he faced an uncertain future.

• Huang Xiao and the others buried Old Sun beside Youwan, then Huang Xiao announced that he would leave for the Martial World.
• Huang Xiao arranged for the Heavenly Demon Sect to preserve its canon and wait a hundred years before choosing a new Sect Master if he had not returned.
• Huang Xiao entrusted the Everlasting Spring Youth-Restoring Art and his other cultivation methods to the four women, with instructions for passing them on carefully.
• Huang Xiao gave Xiao Yan the compendium titled 'Free and Easy Wandering,' which gathered cultivation methods and other arts for future generations.
• Zhao Yunhui suggested establishing a sect, and Huang Xiao agreed to let his four wives build it and train disciples in his place.
• You Lian'er proposed Liu Qin's youngest daughter as a suitable disciple.

Huang Xiao and his companions chose a name for their new sect while discussing his wish to roam the world freely. The chapter ended with Qingfeng revealing that he would not accompany Huang Xiao to the Martial World.

• You Lian'er said Liu Qin's youngest daughter had considerable talent, and Huang Xiao agreed to leave her training to the others.
• Qingfeng argued that the new sect should not use the Green Ox Gate's name, and proposed calling it the Free and Easy Sect.
• Huang Xiao accepted the name and said he would keep striving toward his goal of freedom and ease.
• Qingfeng told Huang Xiao that he would not go with him to the Martial World, alarming Xiao Yan and the others.

Huang Xiao planned to leave for the Martial World in three days to try to dispel the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse, while Qingfeng chose to stay and guide the Four Women. At the farewell gathering at Yama Ridge, Huang Xiao parted from his companions and helped Dugu Sheng rethink what it meant to pursue victory.

• Qingfeng decided to stay behind to guide the Four Women and other disciples, and Huang Xiao set his departure for three days later.
• Huang Xiao spent the final days with the Four Women and his parents, including Princess Longli, who feared she might never see him again.
• At Yama Ridge, Tong Jiuyang told Huang Xiao he would become a monk at Shaolin after settling his worldly concerns.
• Huang Xiao encouraged Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng to follow him to the Martial World, then told Dugu Sheng that seeking to remain undefeated mattered more than pursuing victory.
• Dugu Sheng embraced the idea of pursuing an undefeated state and declared that success would come when he sought a defeat and could not find one.

Huang Xiao said goodbye to his companions and family before leaving for the Martial World to seek a way to dispel the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse. He entered the Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation with Qingfeng, who stood ready to help activate it.

• Dugu Sheng challenged Huang Xiao and entrusted Little Eagle to his care, while Huang Xiao urged the Heavenly Demon Sect to keep the peace.
• Huang Xiao comforted his parents and grandfather, promising Yelü Yushi that he would dispel the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse and assuring Ling Tianya he would make a name for himself.
• Huang Xiao joked with his four wives about finding other women, and they urged him to return safely so they could join him in the Martial World.
• Huang Xiao took the Minghong Saber, said farewell to everyone, and leaped into the pool with Qingfeng.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng reached the Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation, and Huang Xiao stepped inside to try activating it with his control over the Heaven and Earth Momentum.

Huang Xiao activated the ancient formation and was transported from the rock cave to the Martial World, where he found himself alone on a mist-shrouded mountaintop. He could not find a corresponding formation or any way to return.

• Huang Xiao controlled Heaven and Earth Momentum to activate the formation, which filled the cave with dense Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth.
• The formation transported Huang Xiao away, and Qingfeng concluded that he had reached the Martial World and urged him to break the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse.
• Qingfeng sensed that the surge of Spiritual Energy might allow Huang Xiao’s wives to reach the Martial World sooner.
• Huang Xiao arrived on a mountaintop and recognized the Martial World by its dense Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth.
• Huang Xiao searched for a matching formation but found only an ordinary patch of ground, leaving him unsure how he could return.

Huang Xiao crossed a vast, perilous mountain range in the Martial World, avoiding poisonous mists, strange beasts, and illusions as he searched for a way out. After five days, he finally encountered people, but their deacon ordered them to kill him.

• Huang Xiao resolved to find a way to break the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse and descended from the summit to seek information.
• Huang Xiao spent three days crossing mountains filled with strange beasts, rare plants, poisonous mists, and illusions.
• Huang Xiao used his perception and knowledge of formations to avoid the dangers and keep traveling in one direction.
• After five days, Huang Xiao saw three men emerge from the bushes and felt relieved that he could understand their speech.
• The deacon told his two companions to kill Huang Xiao before he could ask them for directions.

Huang Xiao encountered three God-Burying Hall members, who mistook him for a Heavenly Demon Hall disciple while trying to silence him. After he easily defeated their deacon and left, the men discussed the approaching thousand-year mark and the hidden prodigies of the three great halls.

• The deacon ordered two middle-aged men to attack Huang Xiao, but Huang Xiao evaded their strikes.
• The deacon confronted Huang Xiao, who tried to leave rather than risk an unnecessary fight.
• When the deacon blocked his way, Huang Xiao struck him with a palm and sent him flying.
• The deacon recognized Huang Xiao's Heavenly Demon True Qi and accused him of being from the Heavenly Demon Hall.
• Huang Xiao left, and the God-Burying Hall members speculated that he was a hidden prodigy and discussed the three halls' secret talents.

Huang Xiao fled deeper through the Misty Mountain Range after encountering members of the Demonic Path, then followed the Minghong Saber when it flew from its scabbard toward something ahead. The saber avoided a settlement and continued into an uninhabited area, leaving Huang Xiao in pursuit.

• A deacon of the God-Burying Hall discussed Huang Xiao's strength and the search for an old blacksmith before leaving with his two companions.
• Huang Xiao sensed that the three men practiced Demonic Path arts and avoided following them because his Demon-Ghost Blood Curse limited his strength.
• After five days in the Misty Mountain Range, Huang Xiao found fewer dangers but still had not found a way out.
• Minghong trembled with excitement, flew from its scabbard, and raced forward, forcing Huang Xiao to chase it using Heaven and Earth Momentum.
• Huang Xiao spotted a settlement ahead and feared people would see Minghong, but the saber veered away and continued through an uninhabited area.

Huang Xiao passed through a guarded black iron mine unnoticed while pursuing the Minghong Saber. The overseer learned that the storehouse holding three pieces of thousand-year black iron had been robbed, just as an elder arrived, while Huang Xiao discovered the mine’s enormous ore piles.

• Huang Xiao overheard the mine overseer boast that the gang had found three pieces of thousand-year black iron and that an elder was coming to collect them.
• He Laoliu reported that the storehouse had been robbed and the thousand-year black iron was gone.
• The overseer ordered his men to search the mine and count the prisoners before the elder arrived.
• An elder appeared behind the overseer, who recognized him and collapsed in alarm.
• Huang Xiao continued following the Minghong Saber, noticed the mine workers and huge heaps of black iron ore, and wondered how much iron they contained.

Huang Xiao followed the Minghong Saber into the Lone Mountain Gang’s mine, where the saber returned to him as the tunnels collapsed. Leng Feng accused him of stealing the thousand-year black iron, but Huang Xiao overwhelmed him and departed, leaving the gang to face three newly arrived strangers interested in the ore.

• Huang Xiao followed the Minghong Saber through the mine, knocked the miners and guards unconscious, and watched the saber vanish into a rock wall.
• The mine shook and collapsed; the Minghong Saber shot back to Huang Xiao, who woke the unconscious miners as he escaped.
• Leng Feng and the overseer accused Huang Xiao of stealing the three pieces of thousand-year black iron and demanded that he hand them over.
• Huang Xiao revealed overwhelming strength, injured Leng Feng with a snort, and left after noticing something behind the gang.
• Leng Feng decided the theft had to be reported and the black iron recovered, while three strangers arrived, drawn by news of the ore.

Leng Feng faced three powerful newcomers who demanded the Thousand-Year Black Iron stolen by Huang Xiao, then ordered the Lone Mountain Gang to provide two pieces from its remaining stores. The Lord Steward recognized Huang Xiao as the thief they were searching for, while Leng Feng was left with three days to meet the demand.

• Leng Feng cautiously introduced himself to the Lord Steward and his two companions, who dismissed the Lone Mountain Gang as insignificant.
• The Lord Steward demanded the Thousand-Year Black Iron, and Leng Feng explained that three pieces had already been stolen by a young man.
• After hearing Leng Feng describe the thief, the Lord Steward realized he was the man they had encountered earlier and acknowledged that taking the iron would have been easy for him.
• When the Lord Steward's companion suggested killing the gang members, Leng Feng invoked the Swift Sword Sect, but the newcomers dismissed the threat.
• The Lord Steward demanded three pieces of Thousand-Year Black Iron, then reduced his order to two and gave Leng Feng three days to deliver them.

Leng Feng learned that the men demanding two pieces of thousand-year black iron belonged to the God-Burying Hall and realized the Lone Mountain Gang could not oppose them. He ordered the gang to stop searching for the thief and hurried to report the demand to his elder brother.

• Leng Feng asked for three days to report the demand to his Chief, and the deacon warned him of the consequences if he failed to comply.
• A middle-aged man showed Leng Feng a token bearing the God-Burying Hall’s name, and Leng Feng recognized the power behind it.
• Leng Feng abandoned the idea of seeking help from the Swift Sword Sect and concluded that the gang had to surrender the black iron.
• Leng Feng ordered his men to stop searching for the thief, then left to return to the gang.
• The overseer ordered the disciples to sort the ore and clear the mine tunnel to lessen his punishment.

Huang Xiao met the fugitive miner who had stolen three pieces of thousand-year black iron and persuaded him to guide him out of Mist Mountain. When the Minghong Saber reacted to the iron, Old Man Ou mistook Huang Xiao for a member of the Demon Hall seeking his family’s heirloom saber.

• Huang Xiao discovered the ragged old miner hiding in the bushes and learned he had stolen three pieces of thousand-year black iron.
• Huang Xiao told the old man he was not connected to the Lone Mountain Gang and asked him to guide him out of Mist Mountain instead of taking the iron.
• The old man revealed the black iron, and the Minghong Saber flew from its sheath, pierced one piece, and absorbed its aura before Huang Xiao subdued it with Heaven and Earth Momentum.
• Old Man Ou recognized the Minghong Saber as a replica of the Supreme Demon Saber and accused Huang Xiao of belonging to the Demon Hall and coveting his family’s heirloom.

Huang Xiao learned from Old Man Ou that his Minghong Saber was likely one of the Demon Hall’s rare spiritually aware replicas of the Supreme Demon Saber, putting him in danger if its origin became known. As they walked out of Mist Mountain, Old Man Ou explained the Fifteen Provinces and the power of the Supreme Ruler of Wulin, whose position included custody of Seven-Star Dragon Abyss.

• Huang Xiao let Old Man Ou examine Minghong, and Old Man Ou identified it as a spiritually aware replica of the Demon Hall’s Supreme Demon Saber.
• Old Man Ou warned Huang Xiao that the Demon Hall might kill him and endanger his elders if it learned he possessed the saber.
• Huang Xiao admitted he knew little about the Jianghu, so Old Man Ou began explaining the Fifteen Provinces as they walked out of Mist Mountain.
• Old Man Ou explained that the Heavenly Sword Sect had held the Supreme Ruler of Wulin position for over a century and that the ruler kept Seven-Star Dragon Abyss.
• Huang Xiao learned that the true Seven-Star Dragon Abyss was said to be ten thousand years old and that rulers could study cultivation methods from it.

After leaving Mist Mountain, Huang Xiao learned more about the Martial World's rankings and met Ou Jin, who invited him to eat at a nearby inn. They reached the Swift Sword Inn and noticed an escort agency guarding three wagons.

• Old Man Ou explained the Seven-Star Dragon Abyss, Mist Mountain, and the Jianghu rankings while he and Huang Xiao traveled toward the mountains' exit.
• Huang Xiao and Old Man Ou emerged from Mist Mountain after three days, and Old Man Ou asked whether Huang Xiao planned to make a name for himself in the Jianghu.
• Old Man Ou explained the Dragon and Tiger Rankings, but Huang Xiao said he had no interest in fame and wanted to keep a low profile.
• Old Man Ou revealed his name as Ou Jin, and Huang Xiao introduced himself as Huang Xiao before agreeing to join him for a meal.
• Huang Xiao and Ou Jin reached the Swift Sword Inn, then stopped when Huang Xiao spotted an escort agency guarding three wagons.