Recaps

Senior Wu, Abbess Jingluo, and Li Bai discussed whether to keep Huang Xiao’s six wives at the Divine Nun Convent and how they might prepare for the Demon Hall’s Thousand-Year Period. Jingluo agreed to keep and train the women, while Senior Wu considered meeting Huo Lian to learn the Demon Hall’s secrets.

• Abbess Jingluo said she no longer wanted to keep Huang Xiao’s six wives after learning their identities, but Senior Wu and Li Bai argued that Huang Xiao’s conduct differed from Huo Lian’s.
• After the visitors left, You Lian'er and Xiao Yan encouraged the other women to stay hopeful and focus on finding their husband.
• Jingluo praised the women’s aptitude and Zhao Yunhui’s Blade and Sword Combined Strike Technique, and Senior Wu suggested their ties to Huang Xiao might influence his future actions.
• Jingluo agreed to keep the six women in the Penglai Mystic Domain and teach them while the convent prepared for the Thousand-Year Period.
• Li Bai speculated that Huo Lian wanted to escape the Martial World through a hidden formation, and Senior Wu said she might visit him to learn more.

Senior Wu decided to visit Huo Lian and Imperial Remnant Manor to gather allies and secrets ahead of the Thousand-Year Period of the Demon Hall. Meanwhile, Dugu Sheng was escorted through Imperial Remnant Manor to a guarded valley, where he noticed a lifelike turtle-shaped statue.

• Senior Wu said he would seek out Huo Lian and visit Imperial Remnant Manor to discuss the coming conflict and learn what each side knew.
• Li Bai reported that Chao Xun had returned to focused cultivation after Youyue's apparent death, and Senior Wu and Abbess Jingluo discussed how Hall Master candidates could surpass ordinary younger fighters.
• An Imperial Remnant Manor disciple summoned Dugu Sheng on Sword Emperor Tan Ming's behalf and led him away from the courtyard where his movements were restricted.
• Dugu Sheng recalled that Tan Ming had protected and guided him, helping him break through to the Half-Step Martial Realm in less than a month.
• After several changes of guides and two hours of travel, Dugu Sheng reached a mountain valley entrance and sensed that its gigantic turtle-shaped stone statue seemed alive.

Dugu Sheng discovered that he could resonate with the Xuanyuan Sword, and Tan Ming told him he had a chance to wield the nearly repaired divine weapon. Tan Ming offered to help him cultivate at the sword formation and asked Dugu Sheng to become his disciple.

• Dugu Sheng entered the Giant Eight Trigrams Sword Formation and met Tan Ming at its center beside the Xuanyuan Sword.
• Tan Ming revealed that Dugu Sheng had first appeared in this valley and explained that the chained divine beasts' essence blood and lifespans were repairing the damaged sword.
• Dugu Sheng sensed a close affinity with the Xuanyuan Sword and said its sword intent could help him improve his internal power and understand the way of the sword.
• Tan Ming told Dugu Sheng that he had the qualifications to possess the Xuanyuan Sword and promised to ask the Manor Lord to let him cultivate there.
• Tan Ming solemnly asked Dugu Sheng whether he was willing to take him as his master.

Dugu Sheng became Tan Ming’s disciple, while Hong Yi trained under Baili Zhen and learned that Huang Xiao had become a powerful member of the Demon Hall. Hong Yi was left stunned by the news that his old friend possessed the Heavenly Demon Skill.

• Dugu Sheng accepted Tan Ming as his master, and Tan Ming promised to negotiate Imperial Remnant Manor’s conditions on his behalf.
• Hong Yi demonstrated his Subduing Dragon Palm for Baili Zhen, who praised his progress and strength.
• Hong Yi asked Baili Zhen about the strongest young martial artists, and Baili Zhen said several had reached the void martial realm.
• Baili Zhen named Huang Xiao of the Demon Hall’s Heavenly Demon Hall among the outstanding young fighters.
• Hong Yi asked whether Huang Xiao knew the Heavenly Demon Skill, shaken by the possibility that he was his old friend.

Hong Yi learned that Huang Xiao had become a Void Martial Realm candidate in the Heavenly Demon Hall, while Baili Zhen watched Dragon Fang near completion and feared upheaval at the Dragon Burial Ground. Elsewhere, Qingfeng remained trapped in a mysterious formation, surviving on rare milky droplets and tending a plant growing from the rock.

• Hong Yi asked Baili Zhen about Huang Xiao, and Baili Zhen dismissed the possibility that the Heavenly Demon Hall candidate was Hong Yi’s friend.
• Baili Zhen told Hong Yi that Huang Xiao was in the Void Martial Realm and urged him to look instead to Sword God Yi and Li Chaoxun as examples.
• Hong Yi warned Baili Zhen that Dragon Fang’s evil qi was growing stronger, and Baili Zhen said the weapon was nearing completion and Huo Lian would likely arrive soon.
• Qingfeng drank a rare milky-white droplet in the stone cave where he had been trapped for three months by a mysterious formation.
• Qingfeng watered a two-leaved plant growing from the rock with half of his milky liquid, preserving both himself and the rare plant.

Qingfeng discovered faint writing near the rare treasure and waited for its growth to reveal more, while wondering about Huang Xiao and the others. Elsewhere on Mist Mountain, Demon Phoenix sparred with Fan Zhongkun, Zhu Yang, and Wang Jiu, leaving Wang Jiu as the only one able to challenge him.

• Qingfeng watered the rare treasure with milky liquid, and it recovered and grew new leaves.
• Qingfeng found six faint characters carved into the rock: “Sever the mortal world, sever all affections.”
• Qingfeng suspected more writing would appear as the plant grew, but he could gather milky liquid only once every ten days.
• Qingfeng worried about Huang Xiao, Dugu Sheng, and the others, then accepted that he had no way to leave his isolated location yet.
• On Mist Mountain, Demon Phoenix defeated Fan Zhongkun and Zhu Yang in sparring and called Wang Jiu his only worthy opponent.
• Demon Phoenix and Wang Jiu exchanged blows as Wang Jiu met his attacks head-on.

Huo Lian visited Wang Jiu, Zhu Yang, and Fan Zhongkun on Mist Mountain and promised them a great opportunity, bringing out the Ancient Evil Blades Tiger Wing and Inugami. Zhu Yang hoped the opportunity would involve Dragon Fang, but Huo Lian clarified that it would benefit all three.

• The Demon Phoenix fought Wang Jiu and complained that it could no longer defeat him in one move, while Wang Jiu noted he had not used Tiger Wing.
• Huo Lian appeared, sent the Demon Phoenix crashing into a boulder, and praised Wang Jiu, Zhu Yang, and Fan Zhongkun for their cultivation progress.
• Zhu Yang asked Huo Lian about Dragon Fang, the Ancient Evil Blade tied to his family, but Huo Lian did not answer directly.
• Huo Lian placed Tiger Wing and Inugami before the three men and announced that he would give them a great opportunity.
• Zhu Yang asked if the opportunity was Dragon Fang, and Huo Lian said Dragon Fang would be an opportunity for Zhu Yang alone, not all three.

Huo Lian told Wang Jiu, Zhu Yang, and Fan Zhongkun about a way into the Evil Water Region and asked them to retrieve the Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art. He explained that they would be trapped inside until the Three Ancient Evil Blades were gathered outside to break the formation.

• Demon Phoenix demanded his reward, and Huo Lian told the three men that their ancestors had hidden something near Supreme Evil Peak in the Evil Water Region.
• Wang Jiu, Zhu Yang, and Fan Zhongkun worried about entering the dangerous region, but Huo Lian said he had a way and that the Heavenly Evil Sect would not obstruct them.
• Huo Lian asked the three men to find the Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art, a cultivation method created by their ancestors before their showdown with the Demon Hall.
• Huo Lian explained that the Three Ancient Evil Blades could break the region’s formation, while a single blade could allow entry but not an easy escape.
• Huo Lian revealed that Huang Xiao had entered and escaped the Evil Water Region, and said the three men would have to wait for outsiders to gather all Three Ancient Evil Blades before they could leave.
• Demon Phoenix celebrated Huang Xiao’s adventure and vowed to teach him a lesson for not bringing him along.

Huo Lian prepared Wang Jiu, Zhu Yang, and Fan Zhongkun to enter the Evil Water Region and retrieve the Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art, explaining that the Evil Blades’ aura would let them pass safely. After infusing themselves with more evil qi, the three set out with Huo Lian for the region.

• Huo Lian threatened Wang Jiu, Zhu Yang, and Fan Zhongkun into agreeing to obtain the Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art, then explained they could also gain cultivation methods and treasures inside the Evil Water Region.
• Huo Lian said the three needed the Evil Blades’ aura within their bodies to enter safely and planned to strengthen it with another infusion of evil qi.
• Huo Lian told Zhu Yang that Dragon Fang’s location was known but that it was not yet time for the blade to appear.
• Huo Lian sent Demon Phoenix back to the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency and warned him not to stir up trouble on the way.
• Wang Jiu, Zhu Yang, and Fan Zhongkun spent two hours drawing the auras of Tiger Wing and Inugami into their meridians.
• Huo Lian put away the two Evil Blades, returned to the three, and set out with them for the Evil Water Region.

Huo Lian led Wang Jiu, Fan Zhongkun, and Zhu Yang toward the Heavenly Evil Sect while they discussed the recent events surrounding Huang Xiao and the Demon Hall. Fan Zhongkun argued that Huang Xiao was not cold and ruthless enough to rule the Demon Hall, and Huo Lian agreed.

• Huo Lian and the others traveled toward the Heavenly Evil Sect as they heard that the major Jianghu powers knew he was alive and possessed Tiger Wing and Inugami.
• Wang Jiu and Fan Zhongkun discussed Huang Xiao’s recent trials and his growing strength, while Zhu Yang reflected on his debt to Huang Xiao.
• Wang Jiu asked Huo Lian about Huang Xiao’s chances of winning the Hall Master’s Seat, and Huo Lian warned that the Pang Family made the contest difficult.
• Fan Zhongkun criticized Huang Xiao for confronting Yao Renwu to protect Yin Huju and Yue Cheng, but Zhu Yang and Wang Jiu defended Huang Xiao’s loyalty to his followers.
• Fan Zhongkun said a Demonic Path practitioner should be cold and without loyalty, and Huo Lian agreed with him.

Huo Lian led Fan Zhongkun, Wang Jiu, and Zhu Yang to the Evil Water Region, intending to deal with Huang Xiao’s affairs before breaking its formation. He demanded that Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli be killed, then confronted the Heavenly Evil Sect and revealed his identity to its leaders.

• Huo Lian said he would settle an issue involving Huang Xiao in the Evil Water Region before breaking its formation.
• Huo Lian ordered that Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli, who had survived there with Huang Xiao, must not still be alive when he broke the formation.
• Fan Zhongkun promised to kill the two women, while Wang Jiu warned that Huang Xiao might resent Huo Lian for it.
• Huo Lian and the others entered Yizhou and fought their way to the Evil Water Region, where Heavenly Evil Sect forces surrounded them.
• Sima Rusuo ordered the Heavenly Evil Sect disciples to withdraw, then approached Huo Lian with Jiang Wuwei, Kong Zhaoxing, and Chen Zaihui.
• Huo Lian denied having a connection to the Demon Hall, and Zhu Yang and Fan Zhongkun realized he was its former Hall Master.

Huo Lian threw Wang Jiu and two others into the Evil Water Region to test whether they could enter alive, then left to find Huang Xiao. Sima Rusuo and the others concluded the three were unlikely to return and ordered the region surrounded so no one could escape.

• Huo Lian dismissed Sima Rusuo’s suspicions and said he had no secret purpose at the Evil Water Region.
• Huo Lian swept Wang Jiu and two others into the Evil Water Region before Sima Rusuo and the others could stop him.
• Huo Lian said he had only wanted to test whether the three could enter alive and left when the Heavenly Evil Sect leaders did not dare to detain him.
• Sima Rusuo said the three would probably die even if they entered alive, since breaking through the Evil Water Region required all Three Evil Blades.
• Sima Rusuo ordered his men to surround the Evil Water Region and prevent anyone who emerged from escaping.

Sima Rusuo divided the Evil Water Region’s banks among the Heavenly Evil Sect’s Four Great Families while reserving the East Bank for the Sima Clan. Inside the region, Wang Jiu, Fan Zhongkun, and Zhu Yang met the three forebears of their families, who questioned Fan Zhongkun’s plan to kill Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli.

• Sima Rusuo assigned the North Bank to the Jiang Family and made Kong Zhaoxing and Chen Zaihui arrange the South and West Banks, while the Sima Clan kept the East Bank.
• Wang Jiu woke on a beach inside the Evil Water Region and checked that Fan Zhongkun and Zhu Yang were alive.
• Fan Zhongkun urged Wang Jiu and Zhu Yang to kill Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli on Huo Lian’s orders, but they worried about Huang Xiao’s reaction.
• The three forebears of the Zhu, Wang, and Fan families appeared, and Wang Jiu, Fan Zhongkun, and Zhu Yang knelt and identified themselves as their descendants.
• Old Man Wang demanded to know why Fan Zhongkun wanted the two women dead, and Fan Zhongkun struggled to explain.

Wang Jiu revealed that Huo Lian, the former Demon Hall Master, had ordered them to kill the two women, and the three elders debated whether to obey. They decided to keep the women hidden and use Jiang Liuli’s unborn child as leverage against Huang Xiao, leaving the women’s lives tied to the Three Great Families’ plans.

• Wang Jiu admitted that Huo Lian, the former Demon Hall Master, had ordered them to kill the two women.
• Old Man Zhu deduced that Huo Lian wanted the women dead to prevent the Three Great Families from using them against Huang Xiao.
• Old Man Wang argued that killing the women would avoid provoking Huo Lian, but Old Man Fan objected to following Huo Lian’s wishes.
• Old Man Fan proposed that they pretend the women were dead while secretly keeping them hidden.
• Zhu Yang agreed that the women could serve as leverage if Huang Xiao became Demon Hall Master, especially because Jiang Liuli was carrying his child.

Old Man Zhu and Old Man Wang arranged for Fan Zhongkun to attack Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue while revealing that Huo Lian wanted them dead, hoping to turn the women against him and influence Huang. In the village, pregnant Jiang Liuli drank most of Zhangsun Youyue’s fish soup before pretending to reject it, while Zhangsun Youyue continued caring for her.

• Old Man Zhu convinced Old Man Wang that the women could expose Huo Lian’s plot to Huang, despite Old Man Fan’s warning that the scheme could backfire.
• Old Man Zhu ordered Fan Zhongkun to attack the women with full force and disclose Huo Lian’s wish, promising to intervene before they were harmed.
• Fan Zhongkun accepted the assignment, and Wang Jiu and Zhu Yang agreed to keep the plan secret.
• Zhangsun Youyue brought pregnant Jiang Liuli fish soup and urged her to nourish herself for the child.
• Jiang Liuli drank more than half the soup, poured the rest onto the ground, and complained that Zhangsun Youyue’s cooking was disgusting.
• Zhangsun Youyue collected the bowl and left Jiang Liuli alone, continuing to care for her despite her insults.

Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue fought Fan Zhongkun after learning that a senior surnamed Huo from the Demon Hall had ordered their deaths. Their joint sword technique overwhelmed him, leaving him badly wounded as he struggled to survive.

• Jiang Liuli joined Zhangsun Youyue outside and handed her the Illusory Water Sword when Fan Zhongkun attacked.
• Fan Zhongkun revealed that he had entered the Evil Water Region because a senior surnamed Huo wanted the women dead.
• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue combined their sword attacks and broke Fan Zhongkun's control over the surrounding heaven and earth momentum.
• Fan Zhongkun tried to flee, but the women blocked him and continued striking him with their alternating Sword Glints.
• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue pierced Fan Zhongkun's left arm, leaving him bleeding and badly wounded.

Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue defeated Fan Zhongkun, but the Three Great Families’ elders intervened and revealed their descendants’ connection to the Evil Blades. Meanwhile, Huang Xiao broke through to the tenth stage and began preparing to refine his true qi.

• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue overpowered Fan Zhongkun, and Jiang Liuli was about to kill him when a burst of finger force knocked her sword away.
• Old Man Wang, Old Man Zhu, Old Man Fan, Wang Jiu, and Zhu Yang arrived, and the elders stopped the women from killing Fan Zhongkun.
• Old Man Zhu explained that Fan Zhongkun, Wang Jiu, and Zhu Yang were descendants of the Three Great Families, and Old Man Fan said the Grand Formation required all three Evil Blades to break.
• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue suspected the elders knew more than they admitted, but Zhangsun Youyue urged them to focus on improving their strength.
• Huang Xiao broke through to the tenth stage, advancing from the Void Martial Realm into the Martial Realm, and spent a day consolidating his strength.
• Huang Xiao decided to seek a way to refine his true qi using heart fire.

Huang Xiao refined his Heavenly Demon true qi with heart fire, then discovered that imperishable true qi was making his essence blood recover at an extraordinary rate. After fully recovering, he began drawing supreme demonic qi from the Replica Wall and using the Reverse Refining Method to refine it.

• Huang Xiao used heart fire to temper his Heavenly Demon true qi until the refinement reached its current limit, consuming much of his essence blood.
• Huang Xiao discovered that imperishable true qi was stimulating his heart and rapidly generating new essence blood, which he connected to the Longevity Chapter.
• After a day and a half, Huang Xiao's essence blood had completely recovered, and he began activating the supreme demonic qi within the Replica Wall.
• Huang Xiao drew supreme demonic qi into his meridians, moved his Heavenly Demon true qi into his dantian, and began using heart fire to reverse-refine a small portion of the demonic qi.

Huang Xiao refined Supreme Demonic Qi with his patriarch’s essence blood and discovered that his dantian could safely hold only three strands. After ten days in secluded cultivation, he returned to his residence and told Chao Lingyi that Zhou Daohang was a spy from the God-Burying Hall.

• Huang Xiao used his patriarch’s essence blood to ignite his heart fire and refined Supreme Demonic Qi into three strands he stored in his dantian.
• When Huang Xiao tried to store a fourth strand, the three strands in his dantian turned violent, so he dispersed the new strand and concluded that three was his limit.
• Huang Xiao continued cultivating with the Replica Wall for several days, while Chao Lingyi occasionally came to check on him without learning any news.
• After ten days, Huang Xiao left the secret chamber and returned to his residence with Chao Lingyi following him.
• Huang Xiao confirmed to Chao Lingyi that Zhou Daohang was a major spy from the God-Burying Hall, and she explained that she had guessed his identity from Huang Xiao’s treatment of him.

Huang Xiao confirmed to Chao Lingyi that he had reached the Martial Realm but told her to keep his breakthrough secret. After Wu Cang and Yin Huju arrived, they presented him with an imitation saber sent by the Hall Master.

• Huang Xiao told Chao Lingyi to hide his breakthrough and heard that Zhou Daohang was contacting elders while the Hall Master remained in seclusion.
• Huang Xiao asked Chao Lingyi to summon Wu Cang and Yin Huju and bring him a suitable imitation saber.
• Wu Cang and Yin Huju recognized that Huang Xiao had broken through, and he asked them not to spread the news.
• Chao Lingyi brought Huang Xiao a Martial Realm-grade imitation saber, and Wu Cang revealed that the Hall Master had ordered them to deliver him another imitation saber.

Huang Xiao tested the Imitation Saber given to him by the Hall Master and discovered it was a Dao Realm-level weapon, the highest level available in the Demon Hall besides the five spirit-awakened sabers. He could not yet unleash its full power, but he was satisfied with the gift and prepared to face the possibility that Pang Yi had a comparable saber.

• Wu Cang told Huang Xiao that the Hidden Demon Guard had secretly delivered the Imitation Saber from the Main Hall, and Huang Xiao drew it for everyone to inspect.
• Huang Xiao infused the saber with Heavenly Demon True Qi, which it devoured until a crimson, scorching aura emerged from the blade.
• Wu Cang identified the weapon as a Dao Realm-level Imitation Saber and explained that it was the highest level available in the Demon Hall apart from the five spirit-awakened sabers.
• Huang Xiao learned that the Ten Thousand Demons Hall had helped secure the rare saber and suspected the Hall Master's breakthrough to the Shattering-Void Realm had made it possible.
• Chao Lingyi asked whether the saber would let Huang Xiao overwhelm Pang Yi, and Huang Xiao replied that Pang Yi might have a comparable weapon too.

Huang Xiao trained with a heavy saber to strengthen his foundation, then attempted to comprehend the Seventh Form of the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques. His second attempt began to unleash powerful Saber Force, just as Wu Cang and Zhou Daohang approached the training ground.

• Wu Cang and Yin Huju left Huang Xiao alone with Chao Lingyi, while Huang Xiao thought about his Minghong Saber.
• Huang Xiao went to the training ground and repeatedly practiced the Sixth Form with a heavy saber, exhausting himself over three days.
• Huang Xiao used a Martial Realm Imitation Saber to attempt the Seventh Form, but his true qi failed to sustain the first attempt.
• Huang Xiao calmed himself and tried again, sending fierce Saber Force streaking across the training ground.
• Chao Lingyi guarded the training ground and spotted Wu Cang approaching with Zhou Daohang.

Huang Xiao concealed his Martial Realm cultivation from Zhou Daohang, then answered Wei Yidao’s summons with the Imitation Saber and Heavy Saber. Wei Yidao praised him and said he had come to fetch Huang Xiao in person, but did not yet reveal their destination.

• Zhou Daohang and Wu Cang waited while Huang Xiao practiced, then Zhou Daohang tried to assess Huang Xiao’s cultivation and believed he had not reached the Martial Realm.
• Wu Cang told Huang Xiao that Wei Yidao wanted to see him and reminded him to bring both the Imitation Saber and the Heavy Saber.
• Huang Xiao bathed, changed, and left for Wei Yidao’s residence without waiting for Zhou Daohang and Wu Cang.
• Wei Yidao saw the two sabers, praised Huang Xiao, and said he had come to fetch him in person.

Huang Xiao left the Heavenly Demon Hall in secret with Huo Lian to receive guidance, while Wei Yidao arranged to keep the Pang Family unaware of his departure. Huo Lian said Huang Xiao would soon return to the hall and left Huang Xiao’s message from Shi Hen unanswered.

• Huang Xiao packed the fragmentary map and remaining Spirit-Restoring Pills, then left five pills with Chao Lingyi before returning to Wei Yidao.
• Wei Yidao promised to conceal Huang Xiao’s departure by announcing that he was cultivating in seclusion, then led him out through a secret passage.
• Huo Lian met Huang Xiao and Wei Yidao, learned that Huang Xiao had reached the Martial Realm, and heard that Pang Yi had broken through shortly before him.
• Huo Lian said Huang Xiao would come with him for a while but would later return to the Heavenly Demon Hall and rely on himself.
• Huang Xiao relayed Shi Hen’s request to see Huo Lian, who acknowledged the message without giving an answer.
• Huo Lian stopped Huang Xiao from discussing another matter near the hall, and the two concealed their appearances and auras as they left.

Huo Lian recognized Huang Xiao’s map as pointing to Mist Mountain and linked it to Chao Hun’s supreme demonic qi, then destroyed the map and warned Huang Xiao to keep quiet. At the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency, an ancient old man appeared and immobilized Demon Phoenix, offering to take it away.

• Huo Lian examined Huang Xiao’s map and identified Mist Mountain as its destination, though he said he could not determine the exact location.
• Huo Lian told Huang Xiao the map was connected to the supreme demonic qi Chao Hun possessed, then burned it and warned Huang Xiao not to mention it.
• An escort at the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency insulted a black bird and was hurled into a wall by an unseen force.
• Demon Phoenix lamented being unable to use the Minghong Saber while Huo Lian was away and complained that it was trapped in the courtyard.
• An old man appeared behind Demon Phoenix, stopped it from flying away, and offered to take it with him.