Chapter Summaries

Huang Xiao used the Ten Thousand Demons Skill and Heart Fire to imitate the Xuanyuan Sword's aura, strengthening his Divine Sense and true qi by combining internal and external forces. He continued approaching the hostile Xuanyuan Sword, determined to use its pressure to improve his strength despite doubting he could resonate with it.

• Huang Xiao used Heart Fire to break down part of the sword soul's aura, then imitated it with the Ten Thousand Demons Skill to stimulate his Divine Sense.
• Huang Xiao simultaneously tempered his Divine Sense with Heart Fire and the imitated aura, enduring intense pain before repairing it with the Upper Clarity Scripture.
• Dugu Sheng chose not to hear Huang Xiao's explanation, then urged him to make the most of the five days with the Xuanyuan Sword.
• Huang Xiao imitated the surrounding sword intent and combined it with Heart Fire to refine his true qi more effectively.
• Huang Xiao advanced closer to the Xuanyuan Sword, sensing its hostility and accepting the increased pressure as a chance to grow stronger.

After leaving the valley, Huang Xiao and Dugu Sheng discovered that the stone turtle statue was a ten-thousand-year-old divine beast from the Divine Beast Holy Land. Huang Xiao and Dugu Sheng told it about the Longevity Jade Slip and the Soaring Immortal Land, and the divine beast said Senior Immortal Alchemist’s prophecy seemed close to coming true.

• Huang Xiao stopped a hundred feet from the Xuanyuan Sword when his five-day visit ended, and he and Dugu Sheng left the valley.
• Huang Xiao sensed someone watching them and suspected the watcher might have noticed his relationship with Dugu Sheng.
• Huang Xiao and Dugu Sheng discovered that the Turtle-Shaped Stone Statue was a living divine beast that had hidden its presence.
• Huang Xiao introduced himself as a Hall Master Candidate, and the divine beast said his aura felt familiar despite its loathing for the Demon Hall cultivation method within him.
• Huang Xiao asked about the Divine Beast Holy Land, and the divine beast revealed that the First Hall Master had sealed it ten thousand years earlier.
• Huang Xiao and Dugu Sheng told the divine beast about the Longevity Jade Slip and the Soaring Immortal Land, and it said Senior Immortal Alchemist’s prophecy seemed about to come true.

The Tortoise-Shaped Divine Beast told Huang Xiao and Dugu Sheng that Senior Immortal Alchemist had foretold a great upheaval, which could bring down the seals around the Soaring Immortal Land and reshape the Martial World. Before withdrawing, he warned Huang Xiao that the First Hall Master of the Demon Hall was alive and coveted something Huang Xiao possessed.

• The Tortoise-Shaped Divine Beast explained that Senior Immortal Alchemist had predicted a great upheaval ten thousand years later, and that the appearance of the Longevity Pill Manual and Soaring Immortal Land could be signs of it.
• Huang Xiao asked whether Demon Phoenix's Parents were safe in the Divine Beast Holy Land, and the Tortoise-Shaped Divine Beast said they might survive there but could struggle to recover their damaged essence blood.
• The Tortoise-Shaped Divine Beast assured Huang Xiao that the First Hall Master and the she-devil from Imperial Remnant Manor were still alive.
• The Tortoise-Shaped Divine Beast warned Huang Xiao to beware of the Demon Hall and its First Hall Master, who wanted something Huang Xiao possessed.
• Huang Xiao realized the warning concerned his connection to the Longevity Chapter and resolved to be wary of everyone.

Huang Xiao returned to his quarters after hearing the tortoise-shaped Divine Beast’s suspicions about his treasure and the Demon Hall. Meanwhile, the experts studying the Longevity Pill Manual pooled their findings and narrowed the pill’s location to Mist Mountain, though they still lacked a precise spot.

• The tortoise-shaped Divine Beast privately hoped Huang Xiao would clash with the Demon Hall’s First Hall Master, while Huang Xiao remained wary of the elder’s intentions.
• Huang Xiao returned to his quarters, found Senior Liu still absent, and began studying the Longevity Pill Manual while waiting.
• Huo Lian challenged Fan Liya for claiming he had found no clues, and Fan Liya admitted he had gleaned a little before sharing it.
• Xuanyuan Xing had everyone write down their clues, and the experts combined them into a rough map pointing to Mist Mountain.
• Huo Lian said the clues did not identify the exact location, while Xuanyuan Song maintained that the real Longevity Pill lay deep within Mist Mountain.

The group studying the Longevity Pill Manual narrowed the possible location of the Longevity Pill to an area ten li across, but Huo Lian quit after accusing them of withholding clues. The gathering dissolved, leaving Xuanyuan Xing, Xuanyuan Song, and Tan Ming in the Main Hall as the others departed to pursue their own plans.

• Xuanyuan Xing and the others combined their insights and narrowed the Longevity Pill's possible location to an area about ten li across.
• Huo Lian accused the group of hiding clues, ended the joint study, and forced his way out of Imperial Remnant Manor.
• Xuanyuan Xing called off the gathering after admitting that everyone had kept some information to themselves.
• Leng Guhan left Imperial Remnant Manor, while the other guests departed one after another.
• Liu Tengfan said he would fetch Huang Xiao before leaving, and Baili Zhen departed to continue searching for Hong Yi.
• Xuanyuan Xing, Xuanyuan Song, and Tan Ming remained in the Main Hall.

Xuanyuan Xing and the others studied the Longevity Pill Manual while Liu Tengfan told Huang Xiao what they had learned about the Longevity Pill’s location in Mist Mountain. As Liu Tengfan and Huang Xiao set out, a messenger ordered them to return to the Main Hall.

• Xuanyuan Xing told Xuanyuan Song and Tan Ming to keep studying the scripture before trying to obtain the Longevity Pill, and they lamented that it contained no mention of the Longevity Chapter.
• Huang Xiao told Liu Tengfan that his time with the Xuanyuan Sword had given him a method to improve his strength faster, despite being unable to resonate with the sword.
• Liu Tengfan told Huang Xiao that the Longevity Pill was in Mist Mountain’s Core Region and that hidden clues could narrow its location to an area about nine li across.
• Liu Tengfan said the Longevity Chapter was likely elsewhere and warned Huang Xiao that rushing to Mist Mountain without deciphering the clues could be dangerous.
• Liu Tengfan took Huang Xiao toward the Heavenly Demon Hall, but a messenger told them the Supreme Elder had ordered them to return to the Main Hall together.

Huang Xiao accompanied Liu Tengfan to the Main Hall, where Pang Tianjiu challenged Liu Tengfan over the False Tortoise Shell Inscriptions and Huang Xiao’s access to the Longevity Pill Manual. The elders backed Pang Tianjiu’s right to question their Grand Elder, but they fell silent when Shi Hen arrived.

• Liu Tengfan told Huang Xiao that Pang Ji had summoned them to the Main Hall, and they traveled there together.
• A guard informed Liu Tengfan that Pang Ji had ordered him to go directly to the main chamber, where Huang Xiao suspected the False Tortoise Shell Inscriptions were the cause of the summons.
• Pang Tianjiu objected to Huang Xiao attending the meeting and accused Liu Tengfan of mishandling the Longevity Pill Manual and the inscriptions.
• Liu Tengfan told Pang Tianjiu to mind his position, but Pang Tianjiu and several elders insisted that subordinates had the right to question the Grand Elder.
• Shi Hen entered the main chamber, and the elders immediately fell silent.

Pang Ji gathered the elders to hear the Longevity Pill Manual and ordered them to work together to locate the pill. Liu Tengfan offered to resign over giving the False Tortoise Shell Inscription to Imperial Remnant Manor, but Pang Ji absolved him of the blame and told him to study the manual; afterward, Pang Ji summoned Huang Xiao.

• Pang Ji had Liu Tengfan recite the Longevity Pill Manual and describe its map, then ordered the elders to study it and report clues every three days.
• Pang Tianjiu pressed Pang Ji to punish Liu Tengfan for handing the False Tortoise Shell Inscription to Imperial Remnant Manor.
• Liu Tengfan accepted responsibility and offered to resign as Inner Hall Grand Elder.
• Pang Ji said Imperial Remnant Manor had set a trap and that Liu Tengfan did not need to resign, directing him to study the manual instead.
• Shi Hen supported Pang Ji, and Liu Tengfan agreed to continue in his post.
• Pang Ji ordered Huang Xiao to come with him, and Huang Xiao followed after Shi Hen nodded.

Pang Ji privately questioned Huang Xiao about why he had not practiced the Demon Refining Formula, then warned him that Huo Lian might be using him for personal gain. He promised Huang Xiao that he would keep him alive even if he lost the contest for the Demon Hall Master's Seat.

• Shi Hen and Liu Tengfan wondered why Pang Ji had summoned Huang Xiao and agreed to wait for him to return.
• Pang Ji brought Huang Xiao into a secret chamber and asked whether he had practiced the Demon Refining Formula.
• Pang Ji guessed that Huo Lian had taught Huang Xiao another method to refine his true qi, and Huang Xiao confirmed that Huo Lian had forbidden him from practicing the formula.
• Huang Xiao told Pang Ji he feared dying if he lost the contest for the Demon Hall Master's Seat.
• Pang Ji guaranteed that Huang Xiao would live even if he failed to win.

Huang Xiao was forced by Pang Ji to practice the Demon Refining Formula while concealing his heart fire. After leaving Pang Ji, he met with Shi Hen and Liu Tengfan and admitted that the Supreme Elder had made him practice it.

• Huang Xiao rejected Pang Ji's guarantee as insufficient protection and began practicing the Demon Refining Formula under his supervision.
• Pang Ji considered the message from someone claiming to represent the Tomb Clan and grew suspicious that the Demon Refining Formula had a hidden problem connected to Huo Lian.
• Huang Xiao quickly mastered the formula, and Pang Ji dismissed him before meditating on his suspicions.
• Shi Hen summoned Huang Xiao, who found Liu Tengfan waiting in his study.
• Huang Xiao told Shi Hen and Liu Tengfan that Pang Ji had made him practice the Demon Refining Formula.

Huang Xiao told Shi Hen and Liu Tengfan that Huo Lian had forbidden him from practicing the Demon Refining Formula, but Pang Ji had now instructed him to use it. Concerned that this had disrupted Huo Lian’s plans, they sent Huang Xiao to find him, while Pang Ji wondered whether Huo Lian could remove the formula from Huang Xiao.

• Huang Xiao explained that he had used a cultivation method he comprehended himself because Huo Lian had forbidden him from practicing the Demon Refining Formula.
• Shi Hen and Liu Tengfan suspected the formula might have a problem and asked Huang Xiao whether he had noticed anything unusual.
• Shi Hen told Huang Xiao to inform Huo Lian that he had practiced the formula, warning that it might affect Huo Lian’s plans for the final contest for Hall Master.
• Huang Xiao left the Demon Hall’s Main Hall to seek Huo Lian, though he was unsure whether Huo Lian would be where he expected.
• Pang Ji learned of Huang Xiao’s departure and wondered whether Huo Lian could dispel the Demon Refining Formula, while intending to make Huang Xiao continue practicing it regardless.

Huang Xiao discovered that he could not undo the Demon Refining Formula’s effects on his own True Qi, so he rushed to find the Patriarch. Meanwhile, Pang Ruyuan prepared to bring the Tomb Clan out early, and the gates to their sanctuary began opening years ahead of schedule under an order from the First Hall Master.

• Huang Xiao tried using his Heart Fire to separate his Essence Blood from his True Qi, but the Reverse Refining Method had no effect.
• Huang Xiao hurried toward Chaotic Province to find the Patriarch and ask for help reversing the Demon Refining Formula.
• Pang Ruyuan replaced his damaged Divine Sense and decided to bring the Tomb Clan out early to pursue the Longevity Pill.
• Pang Ruyuan focused on his frozen true body, and the formation sustaining it began to tremble and transmit a signal.
• Mo Pozheng saw the stone gates to the outside ripple and display an order signed by the First Hall Master.

Mo Pozheng learned that the First Hall Master had dispelled the formations sealing the Tomb Clan’s exit and ordered them to contend for the Longevity Pill. After confirming that the other Hall Masters remained asleep, Mo Pozheng prepared to leave and entrusted the clan to the Great Elder.

• Mo Pozheng read the First Hall Master’s command and discovered that the Tomb Clan could leave early to seek the Longevity Pill.
• Mo Pozheng opened the stone doors, traveled through the passage, and briefly explored the outside world before returning to the Land of Slumber.
• Mo Pozheng tested the doors to the other Hall Masters’ chamber and found them still sealed, then concluded that the Thousand-Year Period had not begun.
• Mo Pozheng told the Great Elder that the First Hall Master had opened the way out and explained that he planned to leave personally to pursue the Longevity Pill.

Mo Pozheng left the secret chamber to pursue the Longevity Pill alone while keeping the clan’s escape route secret. At the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency, Huo Lian learned that Huang Xiao had been forced to cultivate the Demon Refining Formula and feared losing his influence over him.

• Mo Pozheng took the Great Elder outside, then said he would leave alone and ordered the Great Elder to guard the secret chamber and keep their ability to leave hidden.
• Huang Xiao found Huo Lian absent at the Transcendent Immortal Escort Agency and trained while waiting for him to return.
• When Huo Lian came back, Huang Xiao explained that Pang Ji had discovered his secret and forced him to cultivate the Demon Refining Formula.
• Huo Lian told Huang Xiao that counteracting the formula had taken him a thousand years, and instructed him to keep cultivating it so he could answer to Pang Ji.
• After Huang Xiao left, Huo Lian realized that Huang Xiao’s cultivation made him vulnerable to the First Hall Master’s control and feared it would ruin his hopes.

Huo Lian sought Essence Blood Annihilation as a way to help Huang Xiao overcome the Demon Refining Formula and demanded the Ghost Daoist Canon from Yan Youwang. When Yan Youwang refused, Huo Lian turned to the Ghost Capital, insisting Yan could influence it and ordering him to open it.

• Huo Lian admitted his own method could not quickly resolve Huang Xiao's Demon Refining Formula.
• Yan Youwang explained Essence Blood Annihilation's effects and its connection to the Ghost Daoist Canon and the Ghost Stele.
• Huo Lian demanded the Ghost Daoist Canon, but Yan Youwang refused to reveal the Ghost Spirit Sect's secret even under threat.
• After calming down, Huo Lian asked where Essence Blood Annihilation might still exist, and Yan Youwang pointed to the destroyed Ghost Capital.
• Huo Lian ordered Yan Youwang to open the Ghost Capital, but Yan Youwang said it could not be opened by human power.

Huo Lian persuaded Yan Youwang to risk influencing the Ghost Capital's opening so Huang Xiao could search for Essence Blood Annihilation. Yan Youwang agreed, asking Huo Lian to protect the Ghost Spirit Sect's legacy if he died.

• Huo Lian told Yan Youwang to bring the Ghost Capital's opening forward and promised to help him recover afterward.
• Yan Youwang doubted Huo Lian's assurances until Huo Lian revealed he had obtained the complete Heavenly Evil Imperishable Art.
• Yan Youwang agreed to influence the opening, though he could not guarantee how much he could affect it.
• Huo Lian said Huang Xiao would enter the Ghost Capital with its sole remaining token to seek Essence Blood Annihilation.
• Yan Youwang asked Huo Lian to preserve the Ghost Spirit Sect's legacy if Yan Youwang died during the attempt.

Huang Xiao returned to the Heavenly Demon Hall, reported to Zhu Xing E, and resumed cultivating. When his Ghost Capital Token stirred ten days later, he prepared to travel to Vengeful Ghost Peak before the Ghost Capital opened.

• Huo Lian and Yan Youwang left Wei Yidao in hiding to recover, then headed for the Ghost Capital.
• Huang Xiao returned to the Heavenly Demon Hall and told Zhu Xing E about the Xuanyuan Sword and the events at Imperial Remnant Manor.
• Zhu Xing E discussed the possible danger Imperial Remnant Manor posed and urged Huang Xiao to cultivate for the Hall Master's Seat.
• Ten days later, Huang Xiao felt an aura from the Ghost Capital Token and realized the Ghost Capital might open in about a month.
• Huang Xiao packed his supreme treasures, gathered Supreme Demonic Qi, and set out to reach Vengeful Ghost Peak.

Huang Xiao hurried toward the Ghost Capital Area and discovered that Fan Liya had sent guards there to stop Yan Youwang from using the last Ghost Capital Token. He cautiously approached the guarded heart of the area, where the sentries had reached the enlightenment realm.

• Huang Xiao left the Heavenly Demon Hall without telling Zhu Xing E and headed for Vengeful Ghost Peak.
• Seven days later, Huang Xiao reached the vicinity of Vengeful Ghost Peak and began making his way toward the Ghost Capital Area while avoiding Ghost Spirit Sect disciples.
• Huang Xiao hid as a party of more than a dozen Ghost Spirit Sect members approached and overheard their leader say Elder Fan had ordered them to guard the Ghost Capital because Elder Yan held the last Ghost Capital Token.
• After the party left, Huang Xiao realized Fan Liya’s new guards could obstruct Yan Youwang’s plans and proceeded more cautiously.
• Huang Xiao found secret sentries around the Ghost Capital Area and discovered that the guards near its heart had reached the enlightenment realm.

Huang Xiao hid near the Ghost Capital while Yan Youwang took control of the Ghost Spirit Sect group guarding it and secretly told Huang Xiao the capital would open in five days. Yan Youwang’s injuries had worsened because he brought its appearance forward, but he assured Huang Xiao he had a fallback against Fan Liya.

• Huang Xiao watched Fu Ling, a newly arrived Dao Realm expert, take charge of the Ghost Spirit Sect guards near the still-closed Ghost Capital.
• When Fu Ling sensed someone nearby, Yan Youwang appeared and concealed Huang Xiao’s presence from the group.
• Yan Youwang ordered the group to send one message each day saying everything was as usual, then sat down to prevent them from contacting anyone freely.
• Yan Youwang secretly told Huang Xiao that the Ghost Capital would open in five days because he had influenced its arrival, worsening his injuries.
• Huang Xiao worried Fan Liya might discover Yan Youwang’s condition, but Yan Youwang said he had a fallback.

As the Ghost Capital neared its full appearance, Fan Liya arrived with Jiang Pandong and Jiang Pannan to confront Yan Youwang. Yan Youwang revealed that he had given Huang Xiao the last Ghost Capital Token, and the chapter ended as the Ghost Capital appeared and Yan Youwang ordered Huang Xiao inside.

• Yan Youwang and Huang Xiao waited as the Ghost Capital grew clearer, while Fu Ling reported its movements to Vengeful Ghost Peak.
• Fan Liya arrived with Jiang Pandong and Jiang Pannan, who had joined forces with him against Yan Youwang.
• Fan Liya confronted Huang Xiao, and Jiang Pandong accused Yan Youwang of betraying the Ghost Spirit Sect by giving Huang Xiao its last Ghost Capital Token.
• Yan Youwang defended his actions as being for the Ghost Spirit Sect, while Fan Liya declared he would kill Yan Youwang and purge the sect.
• The Ghost Capital appeared in full, and Yan Youwang shouted for Huang Xiao to get inside.