Recaps

Demon Phoenix fought Jiang Wei and destroyed the Heavenly Evil Sect forces accompanying him, but the Masked Old Man stopped the battle before it could continue. The Masked Old Man then suggested that Fan Zhongkun and Wang Jiu descended from the Three Great Evil Dao Lineages, leaving them surprised by their connection to the past.

• Demon Phoenix used its flame essence to battle Jiang Wei, then detonated its gathered flames, injuring him and killing the remaining Heavenly Evil Sect experts.
• Demon Phoenix tried to attack Jiang Wei again, but the Masked Old Man confined it and ordered Jiang Wei to leave, warning the Heavenly Evil Sect against pursuing Inugami and Tiger Wing.
• After Jiang Wei and the watching experts withdrew, Demon Phoenix returned to the lava lake to absorb more flame essence.
• The Masked Old Man told Fan Zhongkun that Inugami's influence suggested he carried the bloodline of one of the Three Great Evil Dao Lineages.
• The Masked Old Man said Wang Jiu was likely descended from the Wang Family and explained that giving the two men the Evil Blades had been a lucky fluke.

The Masked Old Man told Wang Jiu and Fan Zhongkun about the Three Great Families’ lost heritage and clues to a hidden secret site. He revealed that the site could only be found once all three Ancient Evil Blades were gathered, and proposed investigating Fan Zhongkun’s ancestral home for further clues.

• The Masked Old Man explained that the Three Great Families had prepared secret sites before their defeat, and he believed their most important site remained undiscovered.
• Wang Jiu and Fan Zhongkun knelt and kowtowed to the Masked Old Man, who said he would reveal the site’s location after all three Ancient Evil Blades were gathered.
• The Masked Old Man confirmed that the Zhu Family still had a descendant and that Dragon Fang could not yet be obtained.
• The Masked Old Man explained that the Three Great Families fell to the Demon Hall’s first Hall Master, with the Wang and Zhu heads killed and the wounded Fan head escaping with Tiger Wing and Inugami.
• Fan Zhongkun realized that the treasure map leading to Inugami may have been left by his ancestor, and the Masked Old Man suggested his ancestral home might hold more clues.

Fan Zhongkun agreed to postpone returning to his ancestral home until the three family descendants gathered and obtained Dragon Fang. The Masked Old Man awakened the Minghong Saber, which absorbed the magma lake’s Flame Essence, then led Wang Jiu and Fan Zhongkun away to find the Zhu Family’s descendant while keeping the Demon Phoenix with him.

• Fan Zhongkun and Wang Jiu discussed the dangers of returning to Fan Zhongkun’s ancestral home, and the Masked Old Man told them to wait until the three family descendants gathered and obtained Dragon Fang.
• The Demon Phoenix finished recovering in the magma lake and asked to absorb more Flame Essence, but the Masked Old Man told him to focus on incorporating what he had already absorbed.
• The Masked Old Man channeled his demonic art into the Minghong Saber, awakening it and causing it to absorb the lake’s Flame Essence until the magma solidified into rock.
• The Demon Phoenix asked to use the Minghong Saber, and the Masked Old Man agreed to let him draw on its Flame Essence and promised to guide his cultivation.
• The Demon Phoenix asked whether the Minghong Saber was the Supreme Demon Saber, and the Masked Old Man gave an ambiguous answer.
• The Masked Old Man told Wang Jiu to guide Fan Zhongkun and the other descendants, then set out with them to find a safe place and locate the Zhu Family’s descendant; he kept the Demon Phoenix with him.

The Masked Old Man disguised himself as Mute Uncle and traveled with the Minghong Saber to Qinyang City, while rumors about the Dragon Rankings Contest and its treasures spread. When he returned to his room, a second saber identical to the Minghong Saber reacted to the one he carried, leaving Demon Phoenix stunned.

• Leng Guhan led the Sword Pavilion party away from Dragon Mountain, and Lu Tingyou backed down from confronting Jiang Wei after Leng Guhan ignored him.
• The Masked Old Man disguised himself as an old, frail mute and took the wrapped Minghong Saber toward the Imperial City, with Demon Phoenix posing as an ordinary black bird.
• Travelers at a tea shop argued over the Dragon Rankings Contest and spread rumors about the treasure, including claims that Liu Chongming had obtained a divine weapon.
• Mute Uncle returned to Qinyang City with the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency and went back to his room carrying the Minghong Saber.
• Mute Uncle drew the Minghong Saber, causing an identical saber in his drawer to tremble and fly into his other hand.

The Masked Old Man revealed that he had killed the real Mute Uncle decades earlier and ordered Liu Jinyi to use his network of Escort Agencies to search for Craftsman God Ou Jin. He then took the two Minghong Sabers and jumped into a dry well, with Demon Phoenix following.

• The Masked Old Man questioned Liu Jinyi and Liu Yu about Liu Yu's visit to his room and disclosed that he had killed the real Mute Uncle decades ago.
• When Liu Yu shouted at the Masked Old Man, the old man injured him with his aura, and Liu Jinyi begged for mercy.
• The Masked Old Man gave Liu Jinyi a Token that could command more than ninety percent of the world's Escort Agencies and ordered him to search for Craftsman God Ou Jin.
• Liu Jinyi carried Liu Yu away and privately wondered whether the Masked Old Man's presence was connected to information his father had left behind about Senior Li.
• The Masked Old Man explained to Demon Phoenix that he had secretly united Escort Agencies for their discreet information channels and was seeking Ou Jin to forge the two Minghong Sabers.
• The Masked Old Man reached a dry well in the courtyard and jumped inside, while Demon Phoenix looked down and followed.

The Masked Old Man brought the Demon Phoenix to an ancient formation and tested it with both Minghong Sabers, but neither fully activated it. He revealed that the formation might take him home and help him survive the coming catastrophe, then named himself Huo Lian and vowed to fight rather than submit.

• The Masked Old Man opened a hidden doorway in the dry well and led the Demon Phoenix into a vast chamber containing an ancient formation.
• The Masked Old Man inserted his own Minghong Saber into the formation, but its black-and-red light spread through only a third of the grooves before he withdrew it.
• The Masked Old Man tested Huang Xiao's Minghong Saber; its light reached nearly two-thirds of the formation before stopping, and he said he needed Ou Jin's help.
• The Demon Phoenix asked about the formation, and the Masked Old Man said it might take him home and help him endure the coming catastrophe.
• The Masked Old Man told the Demon Phoenix that powerful enemies would not let him live, then identified himself as Huo Lian and declared he would fight.

Huo Lian placed Demon Phoenix in a powerful Spirit-Gathering Formation to cultivate, then revealed that he had helped capture the elders of Demon Phoenix's Phoenix lineage. Demon Phoenix's fury was easily suppressed, and Huo Lian compared the captured Divine Beasts to livestock slaughtered by the strong.

• Huo Lian led Demon Phoenix out of the underground chamber and offered him a secluded place to recover and assimilate the Flame Essence.
• Demon Phoenix entered Huo Lian's hidden high-grade Spirit-Gathering Formation, where Huo Lian told him to cultivate for half a month before teaching him a Phoenix method of circulating power.
• Demon Phoenix asked about the elders of his Phoenix lineage, and Huo Lian said they had probably died after being captured nearly a thousand years earlier.
• Demon Phoenix vowed to rescue or avenge the elders, then realized Huo Lian had been one of their captors and accused him of being an accomplice.
• Huo Lian restrained Demon Phoenix when he tried to escape the formation and argued that the strong devoured the weak, comparing the captured Divine Beasts to livestock.

The Demon Phoenix accepted Huo Lian’s offer to help it grow stronger and spent ten days cultivating, while Huo Lian met Li Bai at the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency. Li Bai and Huo Lian discussed the conflict between the Demon Hall and the Three Immortal Mountains before Huo Lian asked about a route back through the dry well.

• Huo Lian told the Demon Phoenix that divine beasts were being raised and slaughtered, then offered to teach it and lend it the Minghong Saber so it could seek revenge.
• The Demon Phoenix suspected Huo Lian was using both it and Huang Xiao, but decided to cultivate and increase its strength.
• After ten days in the Spirit-Gathering Formation, the Demon Phoenix had assimilated most of the Flame Essence it had swallowed.
• The Demon Phoenix saw Li Bai arrive in the courtyard, but Huo Lian blocked its view and sound before meeting him.
• Li Bai recognized Huo Lian, greeted him, and discussed the Demon Hall’s long-running conflict with the Three Immortal Mountains.
• Huo Lian asked Li Bai about the way back through the dry well, revealing that he had discovered the location Li Bai had found.

Li Bai discussed the return formation with Huo Lian, who warned him about the coming conflict surrounding the Demon Hall’s thousand-year period. Half a month after the Ranking Contest, Huang Xiao arrived in Youzhou battered and humiliated by God-Burying Hall’s men.

• Li Bai explained that the formation beneath the dry well likely required Huo Lian’s Supreme Demon Saber to activate, but Huo Lian said the saber was still inadequate.
• Huo Lian ordered Li Bai to warn his ancestor to search seriously for a way back, and Li Bai agreed to deliver the message.
• Huo Lian revealed that Imperial Remnant Manor might soon join forces with the Three Immortal Mountains, and Li Bai realized the thousand-year period could involve a greater threat than he had expected.
• Li Bai mentioned the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency’s connection to the dry well before Huo Lian sent him away.
• Huang Xiao reached Youzhou with the Demon Hall after enduring repeated beatings, deprivation, and humiliation from Pang Ruhuo’s subordinates over his jade slip.

Huang Xiao arrived at the Demon Hall headquarters with Yuan Heng, Pang Ruhuo, Pang Yi, and Lou Feishang, where the Grand Elder and the three Hall Masters were expected to receive them. Grand Elder Ma questioned the group about their Jade Slips and Chao Jue’s death, then turned to Huang Xiao and asked whether he was Huang Xiao.

• Huang Xiao resolved to challenge Pang Yi for the chance to contend for the Hall Master's Seat, while Lou Feishang despaired of keeping up with them.
• At the Demon Hall gates, Yuan Heng and Pang Ruhuo learned that Grand Elder Ma and the three Hall Masters would receive them in Side Hall Two.
• Yuan Heng brought Huang Xiao, Pang Yi, and Lou Feishang into the headquarters, where Huang Xiao observed the Demon Hall's powerful experts and Pang Yi's familiarity with the place.
• Grand Elder Ma entered Side Hall Two, and Yuan Heng and Pang Ruhuo respectfully took their seats while the three younger men stood.
• Grand Elder Ma asked Pang Ruhuo about the two Jade Slips and Chao Jue's death, then asked Huang Xiao if he was Huang Xiao.

The Grand Elder examined the Jade Slips of the Longevity Pill Manual and questioned Yuan Heng and Pang Ruhuo about Huang Xiao’s cultivation method and Leng Guhan’s actions at Dragon Mountain. The Three Great Halls’ leaders arrived and clashed over their seating, leaving Huang Xiao to recognize the factional tensions he would face in the Demon Hall.

• The Grand Elder took the two Jade Slips, judged them too incomplete to study, and returned them to Huang Xiao and Pang Yi to keep until their Hall Masters decided what to do.
• Pang Ruhuo reported leads on the remaining Jade Slips, and the Grand Elder questioned Yuan Heng and Pang Ruhuo about why they had not encountered Leng Guhan at Dragon Mountain.
• Yuan Heng suggested that Leng Guhan’s absence might be connected to Huang Xiao’s cultivation method, and the Grand Elder postponed further questions until the Three Hall Masters arrived.
• Pang Ruyuan claimed a central chair before Wei Yidao stopped him, and Wei Yidao kicked apart Pang Ruyuan’s chair when they argued over the seating.
• Wei Yidao taunted Pang Ruyuan about their past fights, while Chu Fanyin supported Wei Yidao and Grand Elder Ma Jing called for a replacement chair.
• Huang Xiao learned that Pang Ruyuan led the God-Burying Hall, Wei Yidao led the Heavenly Demon Hall, and Chu Fanyin led the Ten Thousand Demons Hall, and he anticipated trouble in his bid to become Demon Hall Master.

Wei Yidao defended Huang Xiao as a Heavenly Demon Hall disciple and learned that the Demon Hall Master had taught him his cultivation methods. The Three Great Halls’ leaders agreed to seek an audience with the Supreme Elder to decide Huang Xiao’s status and role in the contest for the Hall Master’s Seat.

• Wei Yidao challenged Pang Ruhuo over Huang Xiao’s mistreatment, but Ma Jing and Pang Ruyuan blocked him from pursuing the accusation further.
• Yuan Heng testified that Huang Xiao belonged to the Heavenly Demon Hall, and Huang Xiao and Pang Yi handed over their Jade Slips of the Longevity Pill Manual.
• After Huang Xiao and the others left the Side Hall, Yuan Heng and Pang Ruhuo revealed that the Hall Master had taught Huang Xiao his cultivation methods.
• Wei Yidao and Chu Fanyin insisted the Hall Master’s commands remained binding, while Pang Ruyuan argued that the Supreme Elder should decide Huang Xiao’s case.
• Pang Ruyuan requested an audience with the Supreme Elder, and Chu Fanyin persuaded Wei Yidao to agree.

Huang Xiao joined the Heavenly Demon Hall and was approved to compete for the next Hall Master's Seat, with a visit to Demon Refining Valley arranged to strengthen him. Wei Yidao warned him that the valley’s Demonic Qi infusion carried a thirty-percent risk of cultivation deviation, then asked whether he knew the Demon Refining Formula.

• Ma Jing announced that Huang Xiao had joined the Heavenly Demon Hall and could contend for the next Hall Master's Seat, prompting concern from Pang Ruyuan and Pang Yi.
• Ma Jing agreed that Huang Xiao would enter Demon Refining Valley in three days for a Demonic Qi infusion after Wei Yidao argued that he deserved the same benefits as other candidates.
• Chu Fanyin told Wei Yidao that Huang Xiao’s new access to Demon Hall resources could help him catch up to Pang Yi.
• Wei Yidao explained that Demon Refining Valley could improve Huang Xiao’s future cultivation but carried a thirty-percent risk of cultivation deviation, and Huang Xiao accepted the danger.
• Wei Yidao asked Huang Xiao whether he knew the Demon Refining Formula, and Huang Xiao said he did not.

Huang Xiao learned that he had to reach minor attainment in the Demon Refining Formula before entering the Demon Refining Valley, but he refused to practice it because the Masked Old Man had warned him against it. After three days of preparation, he entered the valley and began enduring the demonic qi infusion, where the force quickly overwhelmed the Heavenly Demon True Qi in his meridians.

• Wei Yidao told Huang Xiao to learn the Demon Refining Formula within three days and explained that it would help him endure the infusion in the Demon Refining Valley.
• Huang Xiao studied the formula but chose not to practice it, instead using the Upper Clarity Scripture and the Xiantian Wuji Skill to prepare himself.
• A Martial Realm expert escorted Huang Xiao through the guarded checkpoints to the Demon Refining Valley and told him he could stay for up to one day.
• Huang Xiao entered the valley and sensed powerful demonic qi from a stone wall that seemed to suppress the Heavenly Demon True Qi inside him.
• At fifteen feet from the wall, Huang Xiao stopped as demonic qi flooded his body, scattered his true qi, and caused intense pain in his meridians.

Huang Xiao faced death as demonic qi overwhelmed his meridians and dantian, but an uncontrollable circulation of the Demon Refining Formula awakened heart fire that let him refine the qi. He discovered the heart fire was linked to the Longevity Chapter, and the refined demonic qi began flowing through him and out of his body in a balanced cycle.

• Huang Xiao struggled to contain the surging demonic qi and considered practicing the Demon Refining Formula to save himself.
• The Demon Refining Formula began circulating involuntarily, causing Huang Xiao’s essence blood aura to gather in his heart and erupt as heart fire.
• Huang Xiao sent the heart fire into his dantian and ignited the demonic qi throughout his body, refining both the incoming qi and his Heavenly Demon True Qi.
• Huang Xiao realized the Longevity Chapter had likely caused his heartbeat to gather the essence blood aura that became heart fire.
• The refined demonic qi widened and strengthened Huang Xiao’s meridians, then flowed out through his major acupoints as more demonic qi poured in.

Huang Xiao refined the demonic qi in Demon Refining Valley and moved closer to the rock wall, finding a position that greatly increased the benefits but limited how long he could endure. After five and a half double-hours, he left the valley resolved to challenge Pang Yi for the Hall Master's Seat.

• Huang Xiao used heart fire to refine incoming demonic qi, preventing it from accumulating while strengthening his body and Heavenly Demon True Qi.
• Huang Xiao advanced from the half-step Martial Realm position to roughly ten feet from the rock wall, where demonic qi influx and dissipation balanced.
• Huang Xiao took a small step closer, causing the demonic qi influx to surge to at least three times its previous rate.
• Huang Xiao endured the intensified infusion for about five and a half double-hours before retreating from Demon Refining Valley.
• Huang Xiao wondered about the rock wall's power, then left determined to compete with Pang Yi for the Hall Master's Seat.
• A Martial Realm expert noticed Huang Xiao's return and asked why he had stayed for only five and a half double-hours.

Huang Xiao returned from Demon Refining Valley after enduring eleven hours, and Wei Yidao learned that he had reached within ten feet of the Supreme Demon Wall. Wei Yidao warned him to keep the feat secret, then explained the wall’s supreme demonic qi, leaving Huang Xiao wondering whether the Masked Old Man was connected to the Demon Hall.

• A Martial Realm expert dismissed Huang Xiao’s eleven-hour result, while Huang Xiao remained satisfied with the gains he had made by moving closer to the rock wall.
• Wei Yidao sensed Huang Xiao’s unusual improvement and learned that Pang Yi had endured thirteen hours in Demon Refining Valley.
• Huang Xiao told Wei Yidao that he had reached roughly ten feet from the rock wall, shocking Wei Yidao, who said Pang Yi had reached only twelve feet.
• Wei Yidao told Huang Xiao to keep his achievement secret and focus on growing strong enough to challenge Pang Yi.
• Huang Xiao asked about the rock wall, and Wei Yidao revealed it was the Supreme Demon Wall, whose supreme demonic qi only the Hall Master could withstand.
• Huang Xiao wondered whether the Masked Old Man’s unusual true qi resembled supreme demonic qi and whether the man was a powerful Demon Hall figure.

Pang Ruhuo confronted Huang Xiao over the deaths of God-Burying Hall members, but Wei Yidao refused to let him detain Huang Xiao and attacked Pang Ruyuan when he appeared. When Grand Elder Ma intervened, Wei Yidao attacked him too, leaving Ma Jing wary of the furious Hall Master.

• Pang Ruhuo asked Huang Xiao whether he had killed members of the God-Burying Hall near Qinyang City, and Huang Xiao admitted that he had acted in self-defense.
• Pang Ruhuo demanded that Huang Xiao remain at the Demon Hall's main headquarters for punishment, but Wei Yidao rejected his claim of authority and blasted him aside.
• Wei Yidao destroyed a nearby building to reveal Pang Ruyuan, then attacked him and drove him back in a fierce fight outside the headquarters.
• Grand Elder Ma rushed out to break up the fight, but Wei Yidao dispersed his Palm Force and attacked him as well.
• Ma Jing retreated and warned Wei Yidao to know when to stop, while Pang Ruyuan realized Wei Yidao had grown stronger.

Huang Xiao returned to the Heavenly Demon Hall with Wei Yidao after promising to reach the Void Martial Realm within a month, or accept punishment. Wei Yidao arranged exceptional resources and support for his breakthrough, but an unidentified voice mocked Huang Xiao as he arrived.

• Pang Ruyuan announced that Pang Yi had broken through to the Void Martial Realm, prompting Wei Yidao to challenge Huang Xiao to catch up within a month or the Heavenly Demon Hall would withdraw from the Hall Master's Seat contest.
• Huang Xiao accepted the one-month deadline, trusting that Heart Fire would let him refine his True Qi quickly, and Wei Yidao warned that failure meant death.
• Wei Yidao and Huang Xiao rode back to the Heavenly Demon Hall, where Wei Yidao reaffirmed that he would support Huang Xiao if he succeeded.
• Wei Yidao assigned Yue Cheng and Yin Huju to handle Huang Xiao's affairs, gave him Chao Jue's former residence and three times Chao Jue's cultivation resources, and ordered them to assist him.
• As Huang Xiao prepared to follow Yue Cheng and Yin Huju, an unidentified voice mockingly called him a brat.

Huang Xiao met the Regent Elders Liu Chen and Zheng Gu, who resented him for taking Chao Jue’s place, then moved into Chao Jue’s former valley under the protection of Yue Cheng and Yin Huju’s trusted disciples. There, he discovered an upper-grade spirit-gathering formation in his cultivation chamber, where he could begin preparing for his breakthrough to the void martial realm.

• Liu Chen and Zheng Gu warned Huang Xiao about the dangers ahead, while Yue Cheng’s pointed reply exposed their hostility over Chao Jue’s death.
• Yue Cheng and Yin Huju explained that Liu Chen and Zheng Gu had guided Chao Jue and now resented Huang Xiao for replacing him.
• Yue Cheng and Yin Huju led Huang Xiao to his new quarters with trusted guards, replacing the people who had served under Chao Jue.
• More than thirty women rushed toward Huang Xiao, and Yin Huju allowed ten to stay temporarily, with Chao Lingyi put in charge.
• Huang Xiao entered the hidden formation in Chao Jue’s cultivation chamber and learned it was an upper-grade spirit-gathering formation that concentrated spiritual energy many times more densely than outside.

Huang Xiao used heart fire to refine his Northern Darkness true qi, discovering that the refined qi retained its enhanced quality after transforming into Heavenly Demon true qi. His repeated efforts drained his essence blood aura, but Yue Cheng arrived with Demon Blood Pills to help replenish it.

• Yin Huju told Huang Xiao that he could use the Heavenly Demon Hall’s upper-grade spirit-gathering formation alone until the contest for Hall Master.
• Yue Cheng explained the grades of spirit-gathering formations, and he and Yin Huju left Huang Xiao to cultivate for a month.
• Huang Xiao generated heart fire and successfully refined Northern Darkness true qi, then confirmed that it stayed refined after becoming Heavenly Demon true qi.
• Huang Xiao refined his true qi several times, but his heart fire waned as his essence blood aura and mental strength were depleted.
• Yue Cheng entered, recognized that Huang Xiao had overexerted himself, and gave him a bottle of Demon Blood Pills that replenished essence blood aura.

Huang Xiao used Demon Blood Pills to restore his essence blood vitality and refine his true qi, then attempted to break through to the Void Martial Realm. He collapsed unconscious after the attempt, and Yue Cheng and Yin Huju recognized that he had suffered qi deviation.

• Yue Cheng explained the effects of Demon Blood Pills, and Yin Huju gave Huang Xiao his own pill after warning that Huang Xiao’s depleted vitality made the ten pills provided by the hall insufficient.
• Yin Huju and Yue Cheng offered three times the value for any Demon Blood Pills in the hall, later raising the offer to five times, but they obtained only five more.
• Huang Xiao swallowed a Demon Blood Pill and found that it greatly increased his essence blood vitality and let him refine his true qi more quickly.
• Huang Xiao spent half a month refining his true qi until he had reached the limit of five portions refined into one, then decided to attempt the Void Martial Realm.
• Huang Xiao forced his true qi through his meridians while trying to strengthen his control over heaven and earth momentum, but he screamed, vomited blood, and collapsed unconscious.
• Yue Cheng and Yin Huju rushed into the room and identified Huang Xiao’s condition as qi deviation.

After a failed attempt to break through to the Void Martial Realm left Huang Xiao in cultivation deviation, he withdrew to the Back Mountain to calm his mind. There, a realization about the Upper Clarity Scripture, the Xiantian Wuji Skill, and accepting the wind’s true nature gave him fresh insight into his unsettled state of mind.

• Yue Cheng and Yin Huju saved Huang Xiao from cultivation deviation, and he admitted that impatience had caused his failed breakthrough.
• Huang Xiao vowed not to attempt another breakthrough until the final day and spent five days meditating on a mountain summit.
• Chao Lingyi brought food and wine to Huang Xiao, but he ordered the guards to take her away and reflected on his anger.
• Remembering Qingfeng’s teachings, Huang Xiao recognized that the Upper Clarity Scripture and Xiantian Wuji Skill could help cultivate his state of mind.
• Huang Xiao stopped suppressing the mountain wind and embraced its wild, natural force as the way he wanted to pursue.

Huang Xiao overcame his earlier failure and broke through to the Void Martial Realm after calming his mind on the summit and making a final attempt in the Spirit-Gathering Formation. As Yue Cheng and Yin Huju prepared to report his success, Chao Lingyi and ten other women arrived and pleaded to serve Huang Xiao rather than leave the Heavenly Demon Hall.

• Huang Xiao realized that a calm heart could make the gale around him feel like a gentle breeze, then told Yue Cheng and Yin Huju he would spend his final five days in the Spirit-Gathering Formation.
• After the deadline arrived, Huang Xiao began his breakthrough, widened his meridians with Northern Darkness True Qi, and steadily expanded his control over heaven and earth momentum.
• Yue Cheng and Yin Huju sensed Huang Xiao's power rise, while the disciples outside the courtyard could no longer command the momentum around them.
• Huang Xiao completed his breakthrough to the Void Martial Realm, and Yue Cheng sent a disciple to report the news to the Hall Master.
• Chao Lingyi led ten women into the courtyard and asked Huang Xiao to let them serve him, refusing Yin Huju's order to leave the Heavenly Demon Hall.

Huang Xiao learned why Chao Lingyi and the other maidservants were in the Heavenly Demon Hall, then allowed Chao Lingyi to remain while the others were sent away. After confirming Huang Xiao’s breakthrough to the Void Martial Realm, Wei Yidao rewarded Yue Cheng and Yin Huju and gave Huang Xiao the tenth and eleventh volumes of the Heavenly Demon Skill.

• Yue Cheng and Yin Huju explained that Chao Lingyi was the granddaughter of the Mixed Demon Sect’s Sect Master and a distant relative of Chao Jue.
• Huang Xiao said he did not need maidservants, but agreed that a few could stay to serve him.
• Chao Lingyi pleaded to remain, saying she was still untouched, and Yin Huju persuaded Huang Xiao to keep her because of her family’s standing.
• A disciple summoned Huang Xiao, Yue Cheng, and Yin Huju to meet Wei Yidao, who confirmed Huang Xiao’s Void Martial Realm breakthrough and rewarded Yue Cheng and Yin Huju.
• Wei Yidao gave Huang Xiao the tenth and eleventh volumes of the Heavenly Demon Skill, saying Huang Xiao now qualified to continue cultivating it.