Chapter Summaries

Pang Tiangang learned that his rivals’ branches had been wiped out, while Huang Xiao received news that Liu Tengfan would become Inner Hall Grand Elder and Zhu Xing E would lead the Heavenly Demon Hall. Zhu Xing E told Huang Xiao to focus on cultivating and warned him that Pang Yi was training in a forbidden art, while Pang Ruyuan might still be alive.

• Pang Tiangang felt pleased that his branch had gained an advantage after Pang Tianjiu’s and Pang Tianlu’s branches were exterminated.
• Wu Cang told Huang Xiao that Liu Tengfan would become Inner Hall Grand Elder and oversee the Longevity Pill Manual matter at Imperial Remnant Manor.
• Zhu Xing E arrived from the Main Hall, announced that he would become Heavenly Demon Hall Master, and assigned Wu Cang, Yin Huju, and Liu Jiong to continue handling the Hall’s affairs.
• Zhu Xing E instructed Huang Xiao to keep Wei Yidao’s situation secret and to focus on improving his strength while Zhu Xing E guarded the Heavenly Demon Hall.
• Zhu Xing E warned Huang Xiao that Pang Yi was cultivating a cruel forbidden art and suspected that Pang Ruyuan might still be alive.

Huang Xiao considered visiting the Imperial Remnant Manor but resumed cultivation while waiting for permission. Meanwhile, the wounded Pang Ruyuan hid deep in Mist Mountain and searched an old map for a secret location.

• Zhu Xing E warned Huang Xiao that Pang Ruyuan might still be alive and discussed the dangers of the upcoming Imperial Remnant Manor visit.
• Huang Xiao said he wanted to see the Longevity Pill Manual, and Zhu Xing E offered to ask Lord Shi whether he could go with Lord Liu.
• Huang Xiao returned to secluded cultivation to strengthen himself before the trip.
• Pang Ruyuan, badly injured after killing Wei Yidao, rested in Mist Mountain and believed Huang Xiao was dead and Pang Yi would secure the Hall Master's Seat.
• Pang Ruyuan took out an old map he had found in the Pang Family library and searched for its marked location deep in Mist Mountain.

Pang Ruyuan followed an old map to a mysterious formation in Mist Mountain, where an unseen Demon Hall expert discovered his crimes and learned about Huang Xiao, Pang Yi, and Huo Lian. The expert reacted furiously to Pang Ruyuan’s mention of Huo Lian and vowed not to spare him.

• Pang Ruyuan found a man-made formation at the map’s marked location and collapsed after failing to discover how to break it.
• A mysterious voice pulled Pang Ruyuan into the formation, where the expert used the Bewitching Soul Method to uncover his secrets.
• The expert confronted Pang Ruyuan over killing a Hall Master Candidate and violating the Demon Hall’s rules.
• Pang Ruyuan praised Pang Yi and claimed Huang Xiao could not match him, then mentioned that Huo Lian was secretly guiding Huang Xiao.
• The mysterious expert reacted savagely to Huo Lian’s name and declared, “I won’t spare him!”

Pang Ruyuan was possessed by the divine sense of the man sealed in the black ice, who planned to recover his strength and pursue the Longevity Chapter. Meanwhile, Huang Xiao learned that he could visit the Imperial Remnant Manor and might even be allowed to approach the Xuanyuan Sword.

• Pang Ruyuan followed the mysterious expert through the mist and discovered a man sealed inside a black ice crystal.
• The sealed man took over Pang Ruyuan's body after erasing his divine sense, then began healing his injuries with supreme demonic qi.
• The man inhabiting Pang Ruyuan resolved to recover his strength and seek the Longevity Chapter, while reflecting on Huo Lian and the changes of the past ten thousand years.
• Chao Lingyi summoned Huang Xiao to Zhu Xing E, who praised his recent cultivation and told him that Shi Hen and Liu had agreed to take him to the Imperial Remnant Manor.
• Zhu Xing E said the Imperial Remnant Manor might even let Huang Xiao come into contact with the Xuanyuan Sword, surprising him.

Zhu Xing E tasked Huang Xiao with learning what he could about Imperial Remnant Manor when Lord Liu took him there, and Huang Xiao prepared to leave the Heavenly Demon Hall soon. Before that journey, he secretly brought Chao Lingyi to the Imperial City and arranged for her to live under a concealed identity, promising to visit once he survived the coming dangers.

• Zhu Xing E told Huang Xiao to investigate Imperial Remnant Manor and said Lord Liu would take him there, while warning him not to delay the trip for more than a month.
• Huang Xiao told Chao Lingyi to pack, then secretly took her from the Heavenly Demon Hall and traveled with her to the Imperial City.
• Huang Xiao bought a residence and explained that he had kept his distance to protect Chao Lingyi from being targeted.
• Chao Lingyi understood Huang Xiao’s intentions, agreed to remain hidden in the city, and asked him to return safely and visit her.

Huang Xiao left Chao Lingyi protected in the Imperial City, then joined Liu Tengfan on the journey to Imperial Remnant Manor. Liu Tengfan explained which factions were expected to participate in deciphering the Longevity Pill Manual.

• Huang Xiao left his Top-Grade Demon Spirit Armor with Chao Lingyi, who wept after he departed and resolved to stay safe and conceal her identity.
• Half a month after Huang Xiao returned to the Heavenly Demon Hall, Zhu Xing E summoned him, and Liu Tengfan took him to Imperial Remnant Manor.
• Huang Xiao gathered the Supreme Evil Crystal, Supreme Demon Pearl, Ghost Capital Token, and Dao Realm Imitation Saber before leaving with Liu Tengfan.
• Liu Tengfan told Huang Xiao that the Three Immortal Mountains held two Longevity Jade Slips, while the Demon Hall held two and the Sword Pavilion held three.
• Liu Tengfan explained that the Demon Hall, Three Immortal Mountains, Sword Pavilion, Heavenly Evil Sect, Ghost Spirit Sect, and Demon Spirit Sect were expected to attend, though powerful individuals might also join.

Liu Tengfan explained how the Demon Hall infiltrated the Eighteen Families Firms to seize the Tortoise Shell Inscription, though the Longevity Pill Manual’s secrets had since spread too widely for it to offer much leverage. He and Huang Xiao discussed the uncertain search for the Longevity Pill and Longevity Chapter as they entered Imperial Remnant Manor’s sphere of influence, where Huang Xiao was tasked with watching for secrets.

• Huang Xiao asked Liu Tengfan about the Tortoise Shell Inscription, and Liu Tengfan revealed that Chen Xiangrong belonged to the Ten Thousand Demons Hall and had led the Eighteen Families Firms as part of a long-planned operation.
• Liu Tengfan explained that the Demon Hall had sought the inscription to counter Imperial Remnant Manor, but the Longevity Pill Manual’s secrets had largely spread among other powers, reducing the inscription’s value as leverage.
• Huang Xiao learned that Chen Xiangrong was only in the Martial Realm but would be rewarded for his service, and he understood how Chen had escaped the Heavenly Sword Sect’s pursuit.
• Liu Tengfan told Huang Xiao that finding the Longevity Pill or Longevity Chapter would be difficult, described the Longevity Chapter’s power, and said he hoped to witness its return.
• As they entered Imperial Remnant Manor’s sphere of influence, Liu Tengfan reminded Huang Xiao to watch for the manor’s secrets, and Huang Xiao agreed.

Liu Tengfan brought Huang Xiao to Imperial Remnant Manor to decipher the Longevity Jade Slips, where he clashed verbally with Fan Liya before an old rivalry erupted outside the manor. The chapter ended with Leng Guhan and Baili Zhen exchanging powerful attacks as the gathered figures watched.

• Liu Tengfan and Huang Xiao arrived at Imperial Remnant Manor, where a manor expert escorted them inside.
• Fan Liya insulted Liu Tengfan, and Liu Tengfan challenged Fan Liya’s rightful standing while defending his decision to bring Huang Xiao.
• Jiang Pandong and Du Fuzhou urged everyone to set aside their quarrel and focus on the Longevity Jade Slips.
• The group heard fighting nearby and went outside, where they found Leng Guhan battling Baili Zhen.
• Baili Zhen demanded that Leng Guhan draw his sword, then attacked with his palms as Leng Guhan answered with sword-like finger force.

Baili Zhen and Leng Guhan fought a fierce sparring match at Imperial Remnant Manor, showing how much their abilities had grown. The clash ended without a clear victor, with Baili Zhen claiming Leng Guhan only had the advantage because of the Zhanlu Sword.

• Baili Zhen challenged Leng Guhan to a bout while seeking Huo Lian and his missing disciple Hong Yi at Imperial Remnant Manor.
• Huang Xiao watched the two masters clash as Liu Tengfan urged him to learn from the fight, and Fan Liya questioned whether Huang Xiao would ever become Demon Hall Master.
• Baili Zhen unleashed a dragon-like Subduing Dragon Palm, breaking through Leng Guhan's Sword Qi and forcing him to draw the Zhanlu Sword.
• After a powerful collision left both men standing apart with torn clothes, Baili Zhen said he would not have lost without the Zhanlu Sword, and Leng Guhan insisted he could have beaten him with an ordinary sword.

Leng Guhan, Baili Zhen, and Tan Ming challenged one another over their martial arts before the Manor Lord urged them to focus on the Longevity Jade Slip. Liu Tengfan then revealed that the Demon Hall controlled the Eighteen Families Firms' Tortoise Shell Inscription and had kept it from Imperial Remnant Manor.

• The observers judged that Leng Guhan had the edge over Baili Zhen, though Baili Zhen was shocked by Leng Guhan's strength.
• Tan Ming arrived and attacked Leng Guhan with Sword Qi, then challenged him to another Sword Dao contest while dismissing Baili Zhen's Palm Technique.
• Liu Tengfan and Jiang Pandong urged the three experts to stop fighting and prioritize the Longevity Jade Slip.
• The Manor Lord welcomed everyone into Imperial Remnant Manor and said they would wait for the Three Immortal Mountains before investigating the Longevity Jade Slip's secret.
• Liu Tengfan revealed that the Tortoise Shell Inscription was in his hands, and the Manor Lord identified Chen Xiangrong as a Demon Hall member.
• Liu Tengfan explained that the Demon Hall had concealed the inscription to prevent Imperial Remnant Manor from claiming the secret for itself.

The gathered powers discussed the Longevity Pill Manual and Yan Youwang’s attempted murder before entering Imperial Remnant Manor. Liu Tengfan showed Huang Xiao the paired Tortoise Shell Inscriptions and explained that they had to wait for the manor’s Selection Inscription Stele to identify the genuine pieces.

• Baili Zhen challenged Fan Liya and learned from Liu Tengfan that Yan Youwang had nearly been killed by someone close to him.
• The Manor Lord invited the group into Imperial Remnant Manor, where Huang Xiao followed Liu Tengfan to their lodgings.
• Liu Tengfan showed Huang Xiao eighteen tortoise-shell pieces arranged in nine identical pairs, explaining that only nine were genuine.
• Liu Tengfan explained that the Selection Inscription Stele would identify the genuine inscriptions and that testing them directly risked damaging the Longevity Jade Slip.
• Liu Tengfan told Huang Xiao to explore the manor and teach any challenging disciples a lesson, and Huang Xiao looked forward to meeting its experts.

Huang Xiao faced Imperial Remnant Manor’s young disciples, who had gathered to test the Hall Master Candidate, and revealed that he had reached the Enlightenment Realm. Xuanyuandu accepted the gap between them but asked to fight Huang Xiao at Martial Realm strength, and they prepared to spar.

• Huang Xiao recalled Baili Zhen’s Subduing Dragon Palm and thought of Hong Yi and his family in the Central Plains before setting his feelings aside.
• Xuanyuandu challenged Huang Xiao on behalf of Imperial Remnant Manor’s younger generation, but Huang Xiao said he had reached the Enlightenment Realm and released his Commanding Heaven and Earth Momentum to prove it.
• Xuanyuandu admitted that Huang Xiao had opened his eyes to the wider world and asked whether Sword God Yi, Li Chaoxun, and Pang Yi were as strong.
• Xuanyuandu asked to exchange moves with Huang Xiao, who agreed to suppress his strength to the Martial Realm.
• Xuanyuandu drew his powerful sword, and Huang Xiao drew his Dao Realm-level Imitation Saber as they prepared to fight.

Huang Xiao sparred with Xuanyuandu, then faced Baili Zhen’s questions about Huo Lian and the Longevity Jade Slip. After Baili Zhen challenged Liu Tengfan, Huang Xiao visited Xuanyuandu, who revealed that his standing as Imperial Remnant Manor’s top young fighter was threatened by someone else.

• Huang Xiao and Xuanyuandu fought for over a hundred moves before Xuanyuandu conceded, acknowledging Huang Xiao’s strength.
• Baili Zhen appeared and questioned Huang Xiao about Huo Lian’s whereabouts, but Huang Xiao said he did not know where the Hall Master lived.
• Liu Tengfan intervened, and Baili Zhen challenged him to spar; Liu Tengfan accepted, and Baili Zhen asked Xuanyuan Song to arrange a suitable place.
• Xuanyuandu invited Huang Xiao to his residence, where he explained that although he was Imperial Remnant Manor’s strongest among his peers, another young fighter made him wary.

Huang Xiao learned that Dugu Sheng had resonated with the Xuanyuan Sword and that Imperial Remnant Manor had begun nurturing him, worrying Xuanyuandu about being overtaken. As Huang Xiao and Xuanyuandu drank, Xuanyuandu revealed that the Demon Hall’s rise to power could make it and Imperial Remnant Manor enemies.

• Xuanyuandu told Huang Xiao that Dugu Sheng, an outsider with unknown origins, had resonated with the Xuanyuan Sword despite being only in the Void Martial Realm.
• Huang Xiao suspected Dugu Sheng was the old friend he knew by that name, but he concealed his recognition from Xuanyuandu.
• Xuanyuandu explained that the Manor Lord had decided to nurture Dugu Sheng after the Sword Emperor recommended him, and that the Xuanyuan Sword could help him surpass even senior experts.
• Huang Xiao compared Dugu Sheng’s advantage to the Patriarch’s rise through the Hall Master’s Seat and reassured Xuanyuandu that talent still mattered.
• Xuanyuandu told Huang Xiao he feared that if Huang Xiao took the Hall Master’s Seat, he would become an enemy of Imperial Remnant Manor, and the two men continued drinking.

Huang Xiao learned about Baili Zhen’s strength from Liu Tengfan and attended a gathering at Imperial Remnant Manor to discuss the Longevity Jade Slip. The assembled experts agreed to decipher it the next day, but tensions flared when Wan Liukong challenged Leng Guhan and then provoked Baili Zhen.

• Huang Xiao wondered how he could meet Dugu Sheng, whom Imperial Remnant Manor was protecting as the only person able to resonate with the Xuanyuan Sword.
• Liu Tengfan returned injured and told Huang Xiao that Baili Zhen had defeated him and other experts, with only Leng Guhan likely stronger.
• Liu Tengfan brought Huang Xiao to the main hall, where they met Three Immortal Mountains experts Li Bai and Wan Liukong.
• Xuanyuan Song proposed deciphering the Longevity Jade Slip the next day, and the gathered experts agreed.
• Wan Liukong challenged Leng Guhan, who dismissed him, then rejected Baili Zhen’s offer to fight; Baili Zhen took offense and demanded a match before Xuanyuan Song intervened.

Wan Liukong, Baili Zhen, and Tan Ming discussed Leng Guhan’s strength, and Li Bai revealed that Wu Xuancang believed Wan Liukong could match the Sword God. After the group went to drink, Liu Tengfan told Huang Xiao that Wan Liukong’s return could threaten Leng Guhan’s standing and make the martial world’s balance more interesting.

• Baili Zhen argued with Wan Liukong and warned him that Leng Guhan was stronger than he assumed.
• Tan Ming agreed that Leng Guhan had surpassed their expectations, and Wan Liukong decided to spar with Tan Ming and Baili Zhen before challenging him.
• Li Bai said Wu Xuancang had judged that Wan Liukong would not lose to Leng Guhan unless the Sword God had recently grown much stronger.
• Wan Liukong accepted Leng Guhan as a worthy opponent, and the group agreed to wait until the Longevity Jade Slip matter was settled before anticipating their battle.
• Liu Tengfan told Huang Xiao that Wan Liukong’s time in the Three Immortal Mountains might make him strong enough to challenge Leng Guhan’s position as Number One among their generation.

Huang Xiao and Liu Tengfan returned to Imperial Remnant Manor for the gathering to decipher the Longevity Jade Slips, where Huang Xiao was surprised to find Dugu Sheng, Tan Ming’s disciple and the Xuanyuan Sword’s resonator. The group agreed to wait two hours for Huo Lian before beginning, while Xuanyuan Song concealed how much he valued Dugu Sheng’s potential.

• Liu Tengfan explained that Baili Zhen, Wan Liukong, and Leng Guhan had become close friends despite their fierce rivalries, and that the Heavenly Blade Sect had received little support from Wan Liukong.
• Huang Xiao and Liu Tengfan arrived at Imperial Remnant Manor, where Xuanyuan Song confirmed that the Selection Inscription Stele was ready.
• Tan Ming arrived with Dugu Sheng, and Huang Xiao and Dugu Sheng recognized each other but hid their connection.
• Xuanyuan Song proposed waiting two hours for Huo Lian before the group began, and the others accepted.
• Xuanyuan Song confirmed that Dugu Sheng could resonate with the Xuanyuan Sword, though he downplayed the achievement in front of the group.

The gathered experts debated their disciples and waited to see whether Huo Lian would appear before Imperial Remnant Manor revealed the Selection Inscription Stele. Liu Tengfan produced the Demon Hall’s eighteen Tortoise Shell Inscriptions, then demanded that everyone else present their Longevity Jade Slips.

• Tan Ming, Baili Zhen, and the others argued over the strength of their disciples, while Huang Xiao and Dugu Sheng wondered whether Baili Zhen’s missing disciple Hong Yi was the person they sought.
• Baili Zhen explained that he had come to Imperial Remnant Manor mainly to find Huo Lian, but Huo Lian did not appear before the agreed time expired.
• Xuanyuan Song had attendants bring in the Selection Inscription Stele and opened its wooden chest before the gathered experts.
• Liu Tengfan poured out the Demon Hall’s eighteen Tortoise Shell Inscriptions and asked Xuanyuan Song to identify the genuine ones.
• Liu Tengfan stopped Xuanyuan Song from proceeding and demanded that the others bring out their Longevity Jade Slips.

The major powers and Xuanyuan Song argued over who would keep the Tortoise Shell Inscriptions and Longevity Jade Slips after they deciphered the Longevity Pill Manual. Li Bai proposed returning the nine fake inscriptions to Imperial Remnant Manor, but Liu Tengfan demanded that the other factions compensate Demon Hall.

• Wan Liukong and the other leaders put their Longevity Jade Slips on the table alongside Li Bai's two slips.
• Leng Guhan, Liu Tengfan, and Jiang Pandong rejected Xuanyuan Song's demand to keep the inscriptions and slips, and Xuanyuan Song threatened to withhold the Selection Inscription Stele.
• Leng Guhan proposed that everyone share the Longevity Pill Manual's contents while keeping everything else they owned.
• Xuanyuan Song agreed to give up the genuine inscriptions and Jade Slips but demanded the nine fake Tortoise Shell Inscriptions for Imperial Remnant Manor.
• Li Bai argued that the fake inscriptions likely held no secrets and should be returned to Xuanyuan Song as payment for helping decipher the manual.
• Liu Tengfan said Demon Hall would hand over the fake inscriptions only if all the other factions compensated it.

Liu Tengfan agreed to return the nine fake Tortoise Shell Inscriptions to Imperial Remnant Manor in exchange for Huang Xiao seeing the Xuanyuan Sword. Xuanyuan Song began the process of distinguishing the genuine inscriptions from the fakes, while Huang Xiao recognized that Xuanyuan Song was using sound to shape force like a formation.

• Liu Tengfan rejected the proposed compensation and asked Imperial Remnant Manor to let Huang Xiao see the Xuanyuan Sword in exchange for the nine fake Tortoise Shell Inscriptions.
• Xuanyuan Song agreed that Huang Xiao alone could see the Xuanyuan Sword, and Liu Tengfan handed the inscriptions over to Imperial Remnant Manor.
• Xuanyuan Song arranged the eighteen inscriptions around the Selection Inscription Stele and moved the nine Longevity Jade Slips farther away.
• Xuanyuan Song assured the others that his first attempt would not damage the inscriptions, then channeled Imperial Remnant Manor's cultivation force into the stele.
• Huang Xiao sensed that Xuanyuan Song's incantations shaped the force like a formation and connected it to the formation inside the Selection Inscription Stele.