Recaps

Huang Xiao learned that the Fierce Tiger Sect was heading to Green Ox Temple and hurried to Zhongnan Mountain to protect Qingfeng. The Princess and her companions also set out for the mountain after connecting a clue from their divination to the Zhongnan Shortcut, while Zhang Bao confronted Qingfeng with three experts.

• Huang Xiao overheard that the powerful Fierce Tiger Sect had sent men to Green Ox Temple, seized a horse, and rode toward Zhongnan Mountain.
• The Princess reconsidered her divination, identified the Zhongnan Shortcut as a possible clue, and decided to visit Zhongnan Mountain with Lü Ling and Uncle Yan.
• Zhang Hu learned that his son Zhang Bao had gone to Green Ox Temple and set out to retrieve him, hoping to deal courteously with the alchemy sect.
• Zhang Bao arrived at Green Ox Temple with three second-class experts and threatened to burn it down unless Qingfeng kowtowed to him.

Huang Xiao arrived at Green Ox Temple just as Zhang Bao and three Fierce Tiger Sect fighters threatened Qingfeng and his two young disciples. Huang Xiao defeated Yang Heng with one strike, leaving the others stunned and the confrontation unresolved.

• Zhang Bao threatened Qingfeng and claimed he had come to kill everyone at Green Ox Temple.
• Zhang Bao assigned Liu Jin to fight Qingfeng and said he would deal with Qingfeng's two young disciples.
• Huang Xiao arrived at the temple and attacked Zhang Bao's group before they could strike.
• Yang Heng charged Huang Xiao, but Huang Xiao dodged and struck him with the Blazing Yang Palm, sending him flying to Qingfeng's feet.
• Hu Jun and Liu Jin were shocked by Yang Heng's defeat, while Zhang Bao struggled to understand what had happened.

Huang Xiao reunited with Qingfeng and joined him against the Fierce Tiger Sect, where Qingfeng killed Yang Heng and Huang Xiao faced Liu Jin. Huang Xiao revealed his superior techniques as Liu Jin prepared to use the Fierce Tiger Fist, leaving their fight poised to intensify.

• Huang Xiao reunited with Qingfeng and learned that his eldest senior brother had changed after their master's death.
• Qingfeng crushed Yang Heng's chest and killed him, declaring that he would no longer show mercy to certain villains.
• Liu Jin recognized Huang Xiao as Green Ox Gate's missing youngest disciple and sought to learn his cultivation method.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng agreed to fight Liu Jin and Hu Jun separately, with Huang Xiao taking on Liu Jin.
• Huang Xiao's elusive footwork and palm technique alarmed Liu Jin, who announced that he would use the Fierce Tiger Fist.

Huang Xiao fought Liu Jin and used the Blazing Yang Palm and Heart-Severing Finger to wound the Fierce Tiger Sect expert. Liu Jin staggered back bleeding, leaving Zhang Bao and Hu Jun stunned by Huang Xiao’s strength.

• Huang Xiao agreed to face Liu Jin’s Fierce Tiger Fist, confident he could defeat him despite the danger of offending the Fierce Tiger Sect.
• Liu Jin unleashed Tiger Emerging from the Cage, and Huang Xiao raised his Blazing Yang Palm’s power to eighty percent to break through the attack.
• Huang Xiao followed with the Heart-Severing Finger as Liu Jin tried to retreat.
• Liu Jin blocked the finger strike with his arm, but the force pierced his arm and left a bloody hole in his chest.
• Zhang Bao was shocked to see Liu Jin wounded, while Hu Jun realized their group had challenged an unexpectedly powerful opponent.

Huang Xiao fought Liu Jin and Hu Jun after they threatened Green Ox Gate, killing Hu Jun and then defeating Liu Jin when he tried to flee with Zhang Bao. With Liu Jin dead, Huang Xiao prepared to kill Zhang Bao, but someone suddenly shouted for him to stop.

• Liu Jin called Hu Jun to help him fight Huang Xiao, and the two attacked together.
• Liu Jin kicked Hu Jun toward Huang Xiao, then grabbed Zhang Bao and tried to escape; Huang Xiao killed Hu Jun and pursued them.
• Huang Xiao intercepted Liu Jin and killed him after Liu Jin shoved Zhang Bao aside to protect him from a finger strike.
• Zhang Bao begged Huang Xiao to spare him, then threatened him with his father, Zhang Hu.
• Huang Xiao prepared to strike Zhang Bao, but an angry voice suddenly ordered him to stop.

Huang Xiao killed Zhang Bao, but Zhang Hu arrived and badly outmatched him in their first exchange. Qingfeng revealed that his strength had grown greatly and offered to face Zhang Hu, leaving Huang Xiao surprised by his eldest senior brother’s confidence.

• Zhang Hu rushed to Green Ox Gate, but Huang Xiao killed Zhang Bao before he could finish calling for help.
• Zhang Hu struck Huang Xiao with the Fierce Tiger Fist, sending him flying and making him cough blood.
• After mourning Zhang Bao, Zhang Hu threatened to kill everyone at Green Ox Gate, and Huang Xiao recovered and challenged him.
• Qingfeng stopped Huang Xiao from attacking and said he would face Zhang Hu first.
• Qingfeng told Huang Xiao that he had noticed Huang Xiao was holding back and claimed that even at full strength Huang Xiao would not equal him.

Qingfeng fought Zhang Hu to avenge the victims of the Fierce Tiger Sect, revealing that he had created the powerful Xiantian Wuji Skill. After Zhang Hu unleashed the third layer of his Fierce Tiger Fist, Qingfeng evaded the attack and appeared behind him, poised to strike.

• Qingfeng revealed his strength to Huang Xiao and confronted Zhang Hu, while Huang Xiao realized his senior brother had advanced far beyond him.
• Qingfeng and Zhang Hu exchanged dozens of blows as Huang Xiao helped Qingfeng's two disciples retreat from the battle.
• Qingfeng told Zhang Hu that he had created the Xiantian Wuji Skill, and Zhang Hu raised his power and explained the three layers of his Fierce Tiger Fist.
• Zhang Hu struck with the first and then the second layer of force, injuring Qingfeng, who managed to divert or block the blows.
• Zhang Hu feigned a third-layer attack and drove his fist toward Qingfeng's chest, but Qingfeng evaded him and appeared behind him, shouting that he would die.

Qingfeng’s strike against Zhang Hu backfired, leaving Qingfeng badly injured and revealing that Zhang Hu possessed a strange surge of internal power. Jiang Ying arrived to defend Green Ox Temple and prepared to fight Zhang Hu, but the sudden sound of a qin made Zhang Hu tremble in terror.

• Qingfeng struck Zhang Hu from behind, but Zhang Hu’s internal power rebounded through him and badly injured him.
• Huang Xiao helped Qingfeng expel Zhang Hu’s internal power while Uncle Yan, Lü Ling, and Princess Zhao Yunhui watched from nearby.
• Jiang Ying arrived, and Qingfeng introduced him to Huang Xiao as an old friend of their master who had protected the Green Ox Gate.
• Jiang Ying challenged Zhang Hu for threatening Green Ox Temple, and Zhang Hu declared that he feared neither Jiang Ying nor his strength.
• A qin suddenly sounded, and Zhang Hu trembled with terror.

A veiled young zither player confronted Zhang Hu, whose uncontrollable demonic cultivation method had been stirred into a dangerous frenzy by her music. After securing Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong’s promise not to interfere, she demanded that Zhang Hu surrender the method, but he threatened to reveal its secret to them.

• Jiang Ying’s shout broke the gathering’s spell, while the zither music stirred Zhang Hu’s demonic internal power until it began to run wild.
• Jiang Ying and the others realized Zhang Hu’s unusual cultivation method had caused Qingfeng’s injuries and that Zhang Hu could no longer control it.
• A veiled young woman appeared with an ancient zither and asked Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong to let her deal with Zhang Hu.
• Yan Zhong and his companions revealed themselves, and Huang Xiao greeted Zhao Yunhui, whom he had not seen for two years.
• The woman offered to spare Zhang Hu if he surrendered his cultivation method, warning that its power would eventually destroy his meridians.
• Zhang Hu refused and threatened to expose the method’s secret, angering the woman as the others grew curious about it.

Zhang Hu revealed that he possessed the Heavenly Demon Canon, a cultivation method linked to the legendary Netherworld Demon Zither and the long-lost Heavenly Demon Sect. The woman demanded the Canon for her sect, but Jiang Ying refused to let her claim it without challenge.

• Jiang Ying questioned the woman about Zhang Hu's cultivation method, and Zhang Hu explained that practicing it had damaged his body and left him with little time to live.
• Zhang Hu refused to surrender the method, saying that Bao'er's death left him with nothing to fear, and his aura surged with alarming power.
• Zhao Yunhui recognized the woman's ancient zither as the Netherworld Demon Zither, and Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong connected it to the Heavenly Demon Canon.
• The woman admitted that she had come for Zhang Hu because she suspected he possessed the Canon, and Zhang Hu confirmed that his cultivation method was the Heavenly Demon Canon.
• The woman warned Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong not to interfere, but Jiang Ying declared that the Canon belonged to whoever was destined to obtain it.

A woman wielding the Netherworld Demon Zither fought Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong after they demanded the Heavenly Demon Canon, while Zhang Hu claimed only one survivor could receive its location. Her music began damaging everyone nearby, and Huang Xiao, Qingfeng, Lü Ling, and Zhao Yunhui retreated to the protection of Zhao Yunhui's formation.

• Zhang Hu refused to reveal the Heavenly Demon Canon unless only one of the three contenders remained, leaving Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong to confront the woman with the Netherworld Demon Zither.
• Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong attacked together, but the woman used the zither to drive them back and then intensified her music.
• The music disrupted Huang Xiao's and Lü Ling's internal energy, while Zhao Yunhui resisted and called on Yan Zhong to stop it.
• Yan Zhong's shout briefly broke the music's effect, allowing Huang Xiao to carry Qingfeng toward Zhao Yunhui's formation, where the music weakened.
• Huang Xiao revealed that Zhao Yunhui was the Third Princess, and the group retreated farther when the music grew stronger.

The woman used the Netherworld Demon Zither to wound Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong, then forced them to turn their attention from her. Zhang Hu escaped down the mountain using illusory figures, and Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong pursued him while the woman vanished after him.

• Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong charged the woman, but she stopped playing and struck the strings, injuring both men with the zither’s sudden attack.
• The woman fired a powerful invisible note that blasted a deep crater into the ground, and Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong barely dodged it.
• Zhang Hu seized the chance to flee, but Jiang Ying and Yan Zhong blocked his way before he charged them and vanished among dozens of illusory figures.
• Zhang Hu laughed as he escaped down the mountain, and Jiang Ying set off after him with Yan Zhong.
• The woman disappeared from the tree, while Zhao Yunxuan told Yan Zhong not to force matters and warned him that greed invited disaster.

Huang Xiao and Qingfeng discussed Zhang Hu’s escape before Qingfeng revealed that an ancient false tomb had led him to the Pre-Heaven Scripture and the Xiantian Wuji Skill. Huang Xiao planned to leave Green Ox Gate soon to search for Bai Tianqi and Heavenly Mountain Pavilion, but Qingfeng suddenly remembered something he wanted to show him.

• Zhao Yunhui explained that Zhang Hu’s uncanny escape came from combining footwork with formations, then she and Huang Xiao joined Qingfeng inside the Daoist temple.
• Huang Xiao helped Qingfeng heal, and Qingfeng said the Everlasting Spring Art had shortened his recovery to less than three days.
• Qingfeng told Huang Xiao that he had found an ancient false tomb after falling into a pool and discovering an underwater passage.
• Qingfeng explained that the tomb contained the Pre-Heaven Scripture, from which he had comprehended the Xiantian Wuji Skill and advanced to the First-Class Realm.
• Qingfeng offered Huang Xiao the scripture and to teach him the skill, but Huang Xiao kept his plans to search for Bai Tianqi and Heavenly Mountain Pavilion in mind.
• Qingfeng suddenly said there was something Huang Xiao had to see.

Qingfeng showed Huang Xiao a dagger from an ancient tomb that matched his Godslayer and bore the name Demon Slayer, but Huang Xiao refused to keep it. They discussed Poison God Valley’s restrictions on sharing its cultivation methods, and Qingfeng agreed to manage Green Ox Gate whenever Huang Xiao was away, unknowingly taking on the role Huang Xiao expected him to hold after his death.

• Qingfeng showed Huang Xiao the ancient-tomb dagger Demon Slayer, which matched Huang Xiao’s Godslayer in shape, material, and weight.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng noted that the daggers might be part of a larger set, but Huang Xiao refused to keep Demon Slayer, saying one dagger was enough.
• Qingfeng warned Huang Xiao not to pass Poison God Valley’s cultivation methods to Green Ox Gate disciples, and Huang Xiao agreed to respect the restriction.
• Huang Xiao urged Qingfeng to become Green Ox Gate’s Sect Leader, but Qingfeng refused because the position had been given to Huang Xiao by their master.
• Huang Xiao persuaded Qingfeng to act as Sect Leader whenever he was away, and Qingfeng agreed.

Qingfeng gave Huang Xiao a half-finished Sinew-Strengthening Pill left by their master, explaining that it had been prepared for the next sect leader to withstand the Death Seal’s damage to the meridians. Huang Xiao recognized it as a possible chance to heal his own injuries and survive.

• Qingfeng accepted the acting sect leader position but refused to learn the Death Seal because he was not the true sect leader.
• Qingfeng took Huang Xiao to the alchemy chamber and revealed a locked box containing a First-Grade Sinew-Strengthening Pill.
• Qingfeng gave Huang Xiao the pill and their master's letter, which explained that it could toughen meridians damaged by practicing the Death Seal.
• Huang Xiao realized the pill might repair his damaged dantian and meridians, though he was unsure whether the half-finished version would be enough.
• Qingfeng urged Huang Xiao to take the pill and master the Death Seal, while Huang Xiao silently treasured it as his chance to survive.

Huang Xiao took the half-finished Sinew-Strengthening Pill, endured its painful effects, and partially healed his meridians, regaining First-Class Realm strength. He went to the mountain lake for a swim and accidentally startled the princess while she was bathing, then apologized.

• Huang Xiao swallowed the half-finished Sinew-Strengthening Pill and endured hours of pain as its medicinal power battered his meridians.
• Huang Xiao discovered that the pill had healed about half his injuries and restored him to roughly eighty percent of his former strength.
• Huang Xiao circulated his power to stabilize his meridians, then headed to the lake behind the mountain to bathe.
• Huang Xiao accidentally stepped on a branch and startled the princess, who was bathing in the lake.
• Huang Xiao turned away and respectfully asked the princess to forgive him.

Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui discussed his martial arts after an awkward midnight encounter at the lake, and she later recognized the formations in his self-created footwork. She gave him her Eight Trigrams Annotations to help him improve.

• Huang Xiao assured Zhao Yunhui that he had not seen her bathing, then explained that Poison God Valley had taught him the Blazing Yang Palm and Heart-Severing Finger.
• Zhao Yunhui praised Huang Xiao’s progress and explained why he could not yet match Zhang Hu, whose Heavenly Demon Canon and age gave him an advantage.
• Huang Xiao escorted Zhao Yunhui back to Green Ox Temple and the next morning practiced his Snake-Traveling Tiny Steps, which he had refined using insights from the Eight Trigrams Footwork and Zhang Hu’s movements.
• Zhao Yunhui recognized the eight-trigrams formations in Huang Xiao’s footwork and sent Lü Ling to fetch her book of formation insights.
• Zhao Yunhui offered Huang Xiao her Eight Trigrams Annotations, despite Lü Ling’s protest that it contained her painstakingly developed insights.

Zhao Yunhui gave Huang Xiao the Eight Trigrams Annotations and arranged for Lü Ling to notify the Six Gates in Huaqing City that the Heavenly Demon Canon had surfaced. While Huang Xiao escorted Zhao Yunhui to Zhongnan Mountain’s historic sites, she recognized the Path to Heaven as a possible fulfillment of a cryptic prophecy and wondered whether Huang Xiao might bring her a fortunate opportunity.

• Zhao Yunhui gave Huang Xiao the Eight Trigrams Annotations as his cultivation method from the Six Gates, while warning that Yan Zhong could be in danger competing for the Heavenly Demon Canon.
• Zhao Yunhui sent Lü Ling to inform the Six Gates branch in Huaqing City about the Heavenly Demon Canon, and Huang Xiao promised to protect the princess while Lü Ling was away.
• Zhao Yunhui asked Huang Xiao to show her Zhongnan Mountain’s historic sites, and he led her toward the Scripture Lecture Platform.
• At the mountain steps, Zhao Yunhui called the Path to Heaven a “Ladder to Heaven” and wondered whether it fulfilled part of a prophecy about meeting an old acquaintance and gaining a fortunate opportunity.
• Zhao Yunhui set off up the stairs with Huang Xiao, still pondering whether he was connected to the prophecy.

Zhao Yunhui discovered that the nine ancient cypresses and ruins of the Palace of the Ancestral Sage formed the remains of the powerful Nine Palaces Grand Mystery Formation. She discussed the lost Scripture of Great Peace with Huang Xiao, who said he had found insight into the phrase “Heaven and Earth's Destiny.”

• Zhao Yunhui and Huang Xiao visited the ruins of the Palace of the Ancestral Sage and examined its nine ancient cypresses.
• Zhao Yunhui recognized that the cypresses and stone foundations were part of the damaged Nine Palaces Grand Mystery Formation.
• Zhao Yunhui explained the formation's immense power and said she had only uncovered a few of its mysteries.
• Zhao Yunhui told Huang Xiao that the Scripture of Great Peace had contained extraordinary formations and was probably truly lost.
• Huang Xiao said he had pondered the phrase “Heaven and Earth's Destiny” and gained some insights, prompting Zhao Yunhui to ask what he had discovered.

Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui searched the Palace of the Ancestral Sage for the eye of the Nine Palaces Grand Mystery Formation, and Zhao Yunhui found it in a small statue of Lao Jun. As she studied the formation, Windward Sword Gu Yi arrived and addressed her as Your Highness.

• Huang Xiao suggested that the Scripture of Great Peace's phrase “Heaven and Earth's Destiny” referred to three essays in Zhuangzi, but Zhao Yunhui only said she might reread them.
• Zhao Yunhui and Huang Xiao searched the Palace of the Ancestral Sage for the formation's eye, but found nothing at first.
• A mountain breeze revealed a small statue of Lao Jun hidden in the weeds, and Zhao Yunhui recognized it as the formation's eye.
• Zhao Yunhui refused to let Huang Xiao move the statue and began studying how it had been placed in the formation.
• Gu Yi came up the mountain, and Huang Xiao recognized him as Windward Sword Gu Yi.

Huang Xiao confronted Gu Yi, who had tracked down Zhao Yunhui to abduct her, and stalled him in a three-move fight. Huang Xiao revealed his hidden strength and used the Blazing Yang Palm to counter Gu Yi’s yin-based internal power, but Gu Yi’s piercing laughter left the confrontation unresolved.

• Huang Xiao recognized Gu Yi, and Gu Yi revealed that he had followed Zhao Yunhui, hoping to seize her while her coachman was absent.
• Zhao Yunhui told Huang Xiao through voice transmission to hold Gu Yi off for half a quarter-hour, and Huang Xiao challenged him.
• Gu Yi claimed he could kill Huang Xiao in three moves, but Huang Xiao endured the first two attacks while hiding his true strength.
• Huang Xiao raised his power to the first-rate lower grade and struck Gu Yi with the Blazing Yang Palm, then followed with a finger strike that forced Gu Yi to retreat.
• Huang Xiao explained that his hard-yang palm technique countered Gu Yi’s soft-yin internal power, and Gu Yi answered with a piercing laugh.

Huang Xiao fought Gu Yi, who drew his sword and overwhelmed him with the Remnant Demon Sword Technique. Huang Xiao was trapped under Gu Yi’s sword force, unable to use the Northern Darkness Absorption Method without risking his already injured meridians.

• Huang Xiao noticed Zhao Yunhui arranging loose stones and chose to trust her while he taunted Gu Yi.
• Gu Yi drew his sword and unleashed the Remnant Demon Sword Technique, forcing Huang Xiao to defend with his Godslayer dagger.
• Gu Yi wounded Huang Xiao, but Huang Xiao evaded a thrust with an afterimage and used Snake-Traveling Tiny Steps to keep moving.
• Gu Yi pinned Huang Xiao’s dagger against his chest and drove sword force into him, causing him to cough up blood.
• Huang Xiao considered using the Northern Darkness Absorption Method but realized his injured meridians could not withstand it.

Huang Xiao fought Gu Yi with a blood-ice attack and tried to stall him by claiming he had been poisoned. Zhao Yunhui drew Gu Yi into a formation that separated their senses, then revealed she had noticed him following her and intended to kill him herself.

• Huang Xiao reversed his internal power and launched a blood-ice crystal into Gu Yi's arm, but Gu Yi forced it out and recognized the Death Seal of Poison God Valley.
• Huang Xiao bluffed that Gu Yi had been poisoned and would die in two hours to buy time, though he had used no poison.
• Zhao Yunhui called Huang Xiao back, and he entered her formation, where he could no longer see her or Gu Yi.
• Gu Yi pursued Huang Xiao into the formation and realized Zhao Yunhui had trapped him, fearing she would escape.
• Zhao Yunhui appeared before Gu Yi and told him she had noticed him following her and intended to kill him herself.

Zhao Yunhui killed Gu Yi with his own sword inside a formation and returned safely to the Green Ox Gate with Huang Xiao. There, Yan Zhong reported that Zhang Hu had escaped with the Heavenly Demon Canon and that Bai Tianqi had become powerful enough to challenge even him.

• Zhao Yunhui killed Gu Yi in the formation, then led Huang Xiao out while Gu Yi remained trapped; Gu Yi's corpse was discovered when the formation faded half an hour later.
• Zhao Yunhui explained that she had used remnants of the Nine Palaces Grand Mystery Formation to create the formation, and Huang Xiao agreed to keep their encounter secret.
• Yan Zhong returned to the Green Ox Gate wounded and said Zhang Hu had escaped amid the fight over the Heavenly Demon Canon.
• Yan Zhong identified Bai Tianqi of the Huaqing Sect among the experts he had faced and warned Huang Xiao and Qingfeng that Bai Tianqi's strange martial arts made him difficult to withstand.
• Qingfeng vowed to avenge their master, while Zhao Yunhui suggested Bai Tianqi may have obtained an extraordinary martial art, as Zhang Hu had obtained the Heavenly Demon Canon.

Zhao Yunhui visited a bookshop in Huaqing City and discovered that three familiar essays might conceal the Scripture of Great Peace. She left with three other books, keeping her discovery secret as her party continued toward the capital.

• Zhao Yunhui agreed to return to the capital with Yan Zhong after finding inspiration in an incomplete Nine Palaces Grand Mystery Formation.
• The next day, Zhao Yunhui's party entered Huaqing City, where Yan Zhong went to report the Heavenly Demon Canon struggle to the Six Gates branch.
• Zhao Yunhui visited a bookshop with Lü Ling and reread Heaven and Earth, The Revolution of Heaven, and The Way of Heaven.
• Zhao Yunhui realized the essays' words formed mysterious arrays and suspected they were the Scripture of Great Peace.
• Zhao Yunhui concealed her excitement, browsed other books, and bought three of them.