Recaps

Lin Chusheng realized Huang Xiao and Liu Zhi knew he had planned to target the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency, leaving him vulnerable without Lin Kuisheng. Liu Zhi offered to seek Huang Xiao’s mercy if Lin Chusheng revealed where the Three Forms Fragmentary Sword Manual was.

• Liu Zhi called out Lin Chusheng and revealed that Huang Xiao, Liu Yu, and Zhu Yang were with him.
• Lin Chusheng feared Huang Xiao’s status and strength, especially after realizing the group knew about his plan to target the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency.
• Liu Zhi warned Lin Chusheng that Lin Kuisheng was apparently dead and that his Heavenly Sword Sect status might not protect him in Chaotic Province.
• Huang Xiao confronted Lin Chusheng over his plan to seize the Transcendent Immortal Swordsmanship from the escort agency.
• Liu Zhi offered to ask Huang Xiao to spare Lin Chusheng if he revealed where Lin Kuisheng had hidden the Three Forms Fragmentary Sword Manual.

Lin Chusheng told Liu Zhi that the Sword Manual had been stolen by an unknown expert, leaving Liu Zhi unable to use it to build ties with Bishui Palace. Huang Xiao spared Lin Chusheng, who fled after begging for his life.

• Lin Chusheng resisted Liu Zhi’s threats, then explained that an unknown expert had taken the Sword Manual from him and Lin Kuisheng at the Rare Treasures Appreciation Gathering.
• Lin Chusheng said the Rare Treasures Pavilion had compensated them and that Liu Zhi could verify his story there.
• Liu Zhi realized he could no longer obtain the Sword Manual and asked Huang Xiao how he wanted to deal with Lin Chusheng.
• Lin Chusheng begged Huang Xiao to spare him, and Liu Yu advised against killing him because it could bring trouble.
• Huang Xiao ordered Lin Chusheng to leave, and Liu Zhi accepted that Huang Xiao had shown mercy.

Liu Zhi and Huang Xiao left Lin Chusheng behind and continued toward Qinyang City, while Fan Zhongkun claimed Inugami after killing Lin Kuisheng and the other experts. Inugami’s power strengthened Fan Zhongkun with every expert he killed, and he decided to hunt more Half-Step Martial Realm experts.

• Liu Zhi forced Lin Chusheng to crawl away, then agreed to travel with Huang Xiao toward Qinyang City and Mist Mountain.
• Lin Chusheng waited until Liu Zhi and Huang Xiao were gone, vowed revenge, and set off toward Mist City in pain.
• Fan Zhongkun pulled Inugami from Lin Kuisheng’s chest after killing him and the other experts.
• Fan Zhongkun’s wounds healed as dark energy from Inugami entered him and increased his strength.
• Fan Zhongkun realized that killing Half-Step Martial Realm experts greatly enhanced his cultivation and resolved to hunt more of them.

Fan Zhongkun fed his blood to Inugami, enduring soul-piercing pain as the blade’s power rapidly strengthened him. Nearby Jianghu experts fled from his howls, while two sect brothers debated whether to keep pursuing Inugami; the senior brother chose to stay in Chaotic Province and sent his junior brother home.

• Fan Zhongkun decided to draw greater power from Inugami and let its fangs pierce his wrist.
• Inugami drained Fan Zhongkun’s blood, turning its blade red and filling him with a powerful aura as he suffered pain that pierced his soul.
• Jianghu experts heard Fan Zhongkun’s frenzied howls and fled from the area.
• Two sect brothers stopped after fleeing several dozen li, and the junior brother urged his senior brother to abandon the hunt for Inugami.
• The senior brother decided to remain in Chaotic Province and sent his junior brother back to their sect to protect it.

Huang Xiao's party traveled toward Qinyang City after taking a wide detour around the site of Fan Zhongkun's battle, and learned that the nearby Jianghu travelers had not found him. Their conversation with the boastful Big Black Bull was interrupted by reports of Fan Zhongkun's relentless slaughter elsewhere.

• A senior brother sent his junior brother away, then continued on alone after asking him to care for their youngest junior sister if anything happened.
• A charging figure killed two Jianghu experts with a saber, and the second victim identified the attacker as Inugami before dying.
• After circling the battlefield for four hours, Huang Xiao's party headed toward Qinyang City, at least fifty li from where Lin Kuisheng and the others had fought Fan Zhongkun.
• Liu Zhi and Huang Xiao concluded that Fan Zhongkun was not nearby because the Jianghu travelers they encountered were calm and frustrated at failing to find him.
• Big Black Bull boasted that he could defeat Fan Zhongkun, but his companions mocked his knack for predicting bad luck, leaving him unable to name a good prediction that had come true.

Fan Zhongkun arrived with Inugami, and the Jianghu fighters rushed to seize the blade. Huang Xiao recognized the danger and fled with his group, while Big Black Bull followed; Fan Zhongkun killed all the fighters who charged him.

• Fan Zhongkun appeared, prompting the fighters to charge at him and fight for Inugami.
• Huang Xiao realized Fan Zhongkun appeared uninjured and feared he had defeated Lin Kuisheng and the others, so he fled with Liu Zhi and his companions.
• Big Black Bull saw Huang Xiao's group run and followed them, leaving his former companions behind.
• Fan Zhongkun rushed through the charging fighters, cutting down those who tried to resist.
• Fan Zhongkun slaughtered every Jianghu fighter who had charged at him.

Fan Zhongkun pursued Huang Xiao and the others while under the Evil Blade’s control, leaving Huang Xiao and Old Eunuch Jin to stand against him. Liu Zhi, Zhu Yang, and Liu Yu fled, and Big Black Bull raced toward the two men as Fan Zhongkun closed in.

• Fan Zhongkun slaughtered a group of people and charged after Huang Xiao and the others.
• Old Eunuch Jin offered to stay behind, but Huang Xiao chose to join him in holding Fan Zhongkun off.
• Liu Zhi ordered Zhu Yang and Liu Yu to flee so they would not burden Huang Xiao and Old Eunuch Jin.
• Huang Xiao and Old Eunuch Jin stopped to await Fan Zhongkun, while Liu Zhi and the others disappeared into the distance.
• Big Black Bull ran toward Huang Xiao and Old Eunuch Jin, shouting for help as Fan Zhongkun approached.

Huang Xiao and Eunuch Jin joined the fight against Fan Zhongkun after Big Black Bull was struck unconscious. They coordinated their attacks but ended with Eunuch Jin narrowly escaping Inugami as his short saber broke.

• Huang Xiao and Eunuch Jin charged Fan Zhongkun while Big Black Bull turned to fight him with his huge cleaver.
• Fan Zhongkun sent Big Black Bull flying, leaving him badly injured but alive, then attacked Huang Xiao and Eunuch Jin.
• Huang Xiao used the Heavenly Demon Subduing Tiger Fist and exposed his Demonic Art as he struck Fan Zhongkun from behind.
• Fan Zhongkun blocked Huang Xiao’s force with Inugami and countered Eunuch Jin’s attempt to cut his throat.
• Eunuch Jin’s short saber snapped as he dodged Inugami’s slash, narrowly avoiding having his throat cut.

Eunuch Jin took Big Black Bull’s enormous cleaver to replace his shattered saber and joined Huang Xiao in fighting Fan Zhongkun. As the cleaver began to give way against Inugami, Eunuch Jin urged Huang Xiao to escape, but Huang Xiao refused, having realized Fan Zhongkun might be beatable.

• Eunuch Jin narrowly escaped Fan Zhongkun’s strike, which pierced his True Qi and drew blood from his neck.
• Eunuch Jin drew Big Black Bull’s great cleaver to replace his broken short saber.
• Huang Xiao kept Fan Zhongkun occupied by dodging, relying on his Lingbo Ethereal Steps.
• Eunuch Jin joined the fight and used the great cleaver to withstand Inugami, though its blade quickly accumulated notches.
• Eunuch Jin told Huang Xiao to flee, but Huang Xiao refused because he believed Fan Zhongkun could be defeated.

Huang Xiao discovered that his Minghong Saber could withstand and possibly suppress Inugami, allowing him to turn the fight against Fan Zhongkun. As the battle continued, Inugami’s aura weakened and Fan Zhongkun’s control and strength declined, while Huang Xiao began mastering a new saber form.

• Huang Xiao drew the Minghong Saber and rushed to face Fan Zhongkun after Eunuch Jin’s great chopper was badly damaged.
• Minghong Saber clashed with Inugami without suffering damage, while Fan Zhongkun retreated and his aura weakened.
• Huang Xiao realized Minghong Saber grew more excited as Inugami dimmed, and he drove Fan Zhongkun back with the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques.
• Huang Xiao mastered the fourth saber form during the fight and forced Fan Zhongkun several steps backward.
• Huang Xiao recognized that Inugami’s weakening hold had made Fan Zhongkun’s movements stiff and reduced the strength he could unleash.

Huang Xiao exploited Fan Zhongkun’s weakened state under Inugami’s influence and wounded him repeatedly, but their clash with the Minghong Saber and Inugami brought Fan Zhongkun back to his senses. The chapter ended with Eunuch Jin recognizing that Fan Zhongkun had returned to normal.

• Huang Xiao wounded Fan Zhongkun with the Minghong Saber and pressed his advantage as Fan Zhongkun’s strength waned.
• Eunuch Jin watched in astonishment, while Big Black Bull regained consciousness and realized how fortunate he had been to escape Fan Zhongkun.
• Huang Xiao continued cutting Fan Zhongkun, but halted his attempt to finish him when Fan Zhongkun suddenly counterattacked.
• Huang Xiao and Fan Zhongkun clashed their sabers, and Huang Xiao was injured before retreating.
• Fan Zhongkun studied and swung Inugami as his presence changed, and Eunuch Jin realized he had regained his senses.

Fan Zhongkun regained control of himself and overwhelmed Huang Xiao and Eunuch Jin, but Yang Hengchang arrived before he could finish them off. Fan Zhongkun escaped after his attack made Yang Hengchang dodge, leaving the supposed Void Martial Realm expert mocked behind.

• Fan Zhongkun explained that Inugami had suppressed his consciousness and threatened to kill Huang Xiao and take his treasures.
• Huang Xiao and Eunuch Jin joined forces against Fan Zhongkun, but he blasted them back and broke most of Eunuch Jin's cleaver.
• Yang Hengchang arrived, and Fan Zhongkun abandoned his attack on Huang Xiao and fled rather than face him.
• Fan Zhongkun turned to fight Yang Hengchang, whose awkward dodge revealed that Fan Zhongkun's slash threatened him.
• Fan Zhongkun escaped while taunting Yang Hengchang as a fake expert.

Huang Xiao faced Feng Xiaofeng and the Sword Pavilion after surviving a battle with Fan Zhongkun. Feng Xiaofeng challenged him to fight despite his injuries, claiming he would use only one hand.

• Fan Zhongkun fled after Yang Hengchang intervened, and Yang Hengchang pursued him.
• The Sword Pavilion members arrived, and Feng Xiaofeng recognized Huang Xiao and challenged him to a rematch.
• Eunuch Jin tried to defend the injured Huang Xiao, but Feng Xiaofeng insulted him and refused to back down.
• Huang Xiao told Eunuch Jin to leave and accepted that a fight with Feng Xiaofeng was unavoidable.
• Feng Xiaofeng said he would fight Huang Xiao with only his right hand because Huang Xiao was injured.

Huang Xiao faced Feng Xiaofeng while injured, and Feng attacked with his sword despite offering to fight one-handed. Huang used his footwork and Plum-Searching-in-the-Snow Palm to counter Feng’s swordsmanship, leaving their contest underway.

• Huang Xiao judged Feng Xiaofeng’s offer to use one hand as a pretense, since Feng’s swordsmanship would not be greatly weakened.
• Huang Xiao refused Feng’s offer of a sword and taunted him by claiming his bare hands were enough.
• Feng Xiaofeng abandoned his false courtesies and attacked, deciding that killing Huang Xiao could earn him a reward despite possible punishment.
• Huang Xiao used the Lingbo Ethereal Steps to evade Feng’s first sword attack and circle to his side.
• Huang Xiao used the Plum-Searching-in-the-Snow Palm to deflect Feng’s successive sword attacks.

Huang Xiao used his footwork and palm technique to keep Feng Xiaofeng at bay while concealing how badly outmatched and weakened he was. As he waited for Yang Hengchang to return, Yang arrived after pursuing Fan Zhongkun, and Feng Xiaofeng held back from attacking.

• Huang Xiao countered Feng Xiaofeng’s swordsmanship with Plum-Searching-in-the-Snow Palm and evasive footwork, though he could not land a fatal blow.
• Feng Xiaofeng unleashed a storm of sword shadows, but Huang Xiao used Lingbo Ethereal Steps and its illusion formation to obscure his position.
• Huang Xiao kept up a show of strength, hoping Yang Hengchang would return and prevent Feng Xiaofeng from continuing the fight.
• Huang Xiao feared Feng Xiaofeng would discover his weakness, but avoided using the Heavenly Demon Skill because it could draw the Demon Hall’s attention.
• Yang Hengchang arrived after going after Fan Zhongkun, and Feng Xiaofeng restrained himself from charging at Huang Xiao.

Yang Hengchang kept Huang Xiao at the Sword Pavilion’s camp until Jiang Liuli could arrive to challenge him, while Huang Xiao’s companions were allowed to leave. The chapter ended when Yang Hengchang recognized Big Black Bull’s broken saber and questioned whether he was the Saber King.

• Yang Hengchang scolded Feng Xiaofeng for failing to defeat the injured Huang Xiao and ordered him to accept punishment from his master.
• Yang Hengchang accused Huang Xiao of practicing a Demonic Path cultivation method, but Huang Xiao said he had learned it by chance and it had nothing to do with anyone else.
• Yang Hengchang refused to let Huang Xiao leave and said Jiang Liuli would arrive within a few days to fight him; he revealed that she had reached the half-step martial realm.
• Yang Hengchang dismissed Eunuch Jin and Big Black Bull as beneath his notice, and Huang Xiao agreed they could leave.
• Big Black Bull retrieved his broken saber, and Yang Hengchang recognized it and exclaimed, “Saber King?”

Huang Xiao explained to Yang Hengchang how he and Eunuch Jin had survived Fan Zhongkun’s attack, and Yang Hengchang verified the account at the scene where Fan Zhongkun slaughtered Lin Kuisheng’s group. Yang Hengchang took Huang Xiao toward Qinyang City while Eunuch Jin told Liu Zhi, Zhu Yang, and Liu Yu that Huang Xiao was safe for now but remained in Sword Pavilion hands.

• Huang Xiao told Yang Hengchang that Inugami had controlled Fan Zhongkun during his killing frenzy, allowing Huang Xiao and Eunuch Jin to hold him off until Fan regained his senses.
• Yang Hengchang accepted Huang Xiao’s explanation and led the group to the battlefield, where he confirmed that Fan Zhongkun had killed Lin Kuisheng and the other experts.
• Yang Hengchang decided to go to Qinyang City and wait for more Sword Pavilion experts, while Huang Xiao realized Fan Zhongkun had likely fled in that direction.
• Eunuch Jin caught up with Liu Zhi, Zhu Yang, and the others with Big Black Bull, but Huang Xiao was absent.
• Eunuch Jin explained that Yang Hengchang had prevented Huang Xiao from returning, leaving Liu Yu and Zhu Yang worried and unsure how to help him.

Liu Zhi, Liu Yu, and Zhu Yang discussed how to help Huang Xiao after the Sword Pavilion captured him, then traveled toward Qinyang City. Along the way, Cheng Duanjin revealed how he had learned his saber techniques, prompting Zhu Yang to share his similar experience.

• Liu Zhi reassured Liu Yu that Huang Xiao was still alive and promised to seek help from Imperial Court experts arriving in Chaotic Province.
• Liu Zhi and his companions agreed to return to Qinyang City and wait for the Imperial Court experts there.
• Cheng Duanjin explained that his broken saber belonged to Uncle Wang and that he hoped to marry Uncle Wang's daughter, Xiaolin.
• Cheng Duanjin told Liu Zhi and Zhu Yang that he and Xiaolin had practiced two saber styles from a manual they found together.
• Zhu Yang said he had also learned his saber style from a manual without a master's guidance, and that his former sect had forced him to leave over it.

Liu Zhi's party stopped at a tea stall, where Cheng Duanjin talked about his Broken Saber and its maker, Uncle Wang. A woman nearby challenged Cheng Duanjin after he insulted Uncle Wang's work.

• Cheng Duanjin recognized Zhu Yang as the Left-Hand Saber and challenged him to a match, but Zhu Yang refused.
• Liu Zhi suggested that the group rest and eat at a tea stall, where the proprietor seated them at two tables.
• Cheng Duanjin explained that Uncle Wang had spent six months forging the Broken Saber, and Liu Zhi examined its weight and hardness.
• Cheng Duanjin criticized Uncle Wang's work, and a clear voice nearby demanded that he say it again.

Cheng Duanjin reunited with Xiaolin and Uncle Wang at the inn, where Xiaolin scolded him for staying away and traveling through Chaotic Province. The chapter ended with Xiaolin rushing to check Cheng Duanjin for injuries, revealing her concern for him in front of Liu Zhi and the others.

• Xiaolin arrived at the inn with Uncle Wang and pushed Cheng Duanjin aside when he tried to greet her.
• Cheng Duanjin asked Liu Zhi to let Uncle Wang share his table, and Eunuch Jin persuaded Liu Zhi to agree.
• Uncle Wang questioned Cheng Duanjin about taking half a month to return with coke, while Xiaolin scolded him for traveling from Qing Province to Chaotic Province.
• Xiaolin explained that she and Uncle Wang had come to Chaotic Province to search for ore, then asked whether Cheng Duanjin's companions were his friends.
• After Cheng Duanjin said Senior Jin had saved his life, Xiaolin hurried over to check him for injuries before jumping away in embarrassment when the others coughed.

Uncle Wang dismissed Cheng Duanjin’s debt to Liu Zhi, then left the tea shop with Xiaolin. At the entrance, Void Martial Realm experts Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing attacked them, but both men were suddenly wounded and forced to their knees.

• Cheng Duanjin told Uncle Wang how Huang Xiao and Eunuch Jin had helped him survive Fan Zhongkun, and Xiaolin mocked his claims of Jianghu experience.
• Uncle Wang examined the broken saber, recognized Inugami, and declared Cheng Duanjin’s debt to Liu Zhi wiped clean because Liu Zhi had displeased him.
• Eunuch Jin apologized on Liu Zhi’s behalf, and Uncle Wang left the tea shop with Xiaolin while Cheng Duanjin hurried after them.
• Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang arrived at the entrance, and Zhong Tianlang swept his hand at Uncle Wang and Xiaolin to force them aside.
• Before the attack could reach them, Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang screamed, staggered backward, and dropped to one knee with blood at their mouths.

Wang Jiu, the Saber King, injured Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang after they offended him at the tea shop, then allowed them to leave. On the road to Qinyang City, Eunuch Jin identified Wang Jiu, and Liu Zhi regretted losing the chance to win his favor.

• Wang Jiu drove Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang from the tea shop after injuring them, while Xiaolin and Cheng Duanjin left with him.
• Liu Zhi, Zhu Yang, Liu Yu, and Eunuch Jin hurried away from the tea shop and discussed the old man's strength on the road.
• Eunuch Jin identified the old man as Wang Jiu, the Saber King, who had vanished from the Jianghu more than twenty years earlier.
• Liu Zhi regretted offending Wang Jiu and missing a chance to gain his support for the Imperial Court.
• Eunuch Jin explained that Wang Jiu had a peculiar temperament but seemed more restrained after years away from the world.

Eunuch Jin explained the Saber King's past conflict with the Sword Pavilion as Liu Zhi's group worried that the Imperial Court could not compete for Inugami. Meanwhile, Cheng Duanjin learned Xiaolin knew Uncle Wang was a great expert, and their bickering continued as they traveled toward Qinyang City.

• Eunuch Jin said the Saber King had fought the Sword Pavilion more than twenty years earlier, but his strength had not threatened its power as much as Senior Li's had.
• Liu Zhi feared the Saber King might now have reached the Martial Realm and said the Imperial Court could send only Void Martial Realm experts because of the Heavenly Sword Sect's pressure.
• Eunuch Jin urged the group to reach Qinyang City and quietly watch how the contest for Inugami unfolded.
• Cheng Duanjin asked Xiaolin why she had not told him Uncle Wang was a great expert, and Xiaolin pointed out that Uncle Wang must have guided him with the Saber Manual.
• Cheng Duanjin teased Xiaolin for relying on Uncle Wang's knowledge, so she twisted his ear until Uncle Wang told them to stop fooling around.

Uncle Wang revealed more of his connection to Xiaolin’s saber training and headed for Qinyang City, where he intended to confront the Sword Pavilion. In the city, Huang Xiao ate with Yang Hengchang’s party and claimed the honored seat beside him, leaving Feng Xiaofeng furious; the chapter ended as a waiter met an old man climbing toward the third floor.

• Cheng Duanjin realized Uncle Wang had taught Xiaolin his saber techniques, and Uncle Wang confirmed that Wang was truly his surname.
• Uncle Wang said he was heading to Qinyang City to repay Huang Xiao’s debt and show the Sword Pavilion what he could do, while Xiaolin declared her father was unafraid of them.
• Huang Xiao arrived in Qinyang City with Yang Hengchang’s group and refused Feng Xiaofeng’s attempt to order him around as they went to the Drunken Immortal Wine Shop.
• Yang Hengchang chose to dine in the common hall, and Huang Xiao sat at Yang Hengchang’s honored left despite Feng Xiaofeng’s protest.
• Yang Hengchang allowed Huang Xiao to keep the seat and warned him he had only a few days left, while Feng Xiaofeng paid the waiter five hundred taels for the meal.
• A waiter saw an old man climbing from the second floor toward the third and asked whether he was alone.

The Saber King, Wang Jiu, confronted Yang Hengchang and the Sword Pavilion disciples, overwhelming them with his power and revealing his identity. He spared their lives but ordered them to crawl out, leaving Yang Hengchang furious and stunned.

• An old man’s footsteps disrupted the Jianghu folk on the third floor, injuring Feng Xiaofeng and most of the others, while Huang Xiao resisted the force with the Upper Clarity Scripture.
• Yang Hengchang confronted the old man, who revealed himself as Wang Jiu, the Saber King and longtime enemy of the Sword Pavilion.
• Yang Hengchang recognized Wang Jiu and warned that the Sword Pavilion would target his disciple or successor, but Wang Jiu slashed his chest with a casual chopping motion.
• Wang Jiu said he had come to see the Sword Pavilion people and mocked their courage, while Yang Hengchang insisted they would not fear death.
• Wang Jiu spared the group and pointed toward the stairs, ordering Yang Hengchang and the others to crawl out.