Chapter Summaries

Huang Xiao’s healing lets him outlast Badu, who withdraws after disguising his retreat as mercy. Huang Xiao joins the battle to aid the Great Song fighters, but as their side continues to suffer losses, an unseen attacker strikes at his back.

• Huang Xiao explains that his Everlasting Spring Ageless True Qi has healed his injuries while Badu’s repeated palm strikes have drained his strength.
• After several dozen exchanges, Badu decides to retreat, and Huang Xiao mocks his claim that he is sparing him.
• Lu Ting urges Huang Xiao to stop pursuing Badu, and Huang Xiao reveals that the Everlasting Spring Art is responsible for his recovery.
• Huang Xiao rushes to help the Great Song fighters, whose morale rises and whose counterattack inflicts heavy casualties on the opposing side.
• Despite Huang Xiao’s help, the Great Song fighters remain at a disadvantage, and an attacker suddenly strikes toward his back.

Xu Wuyu pursued Huang Xiao after defeating Master Kongming and Reverend Demu, and Huang Xiao used a feint to strike back despite badly injuring himself. As Huang Xiao tried to recover, Xu Wuyu tricked Master Kongming and turned to attack him.

• Xu Wuyu defeated Master Kongming and Reverend Demu, then charged at Huang Xiao, while Master Kongming rushed to help.
• Huang Xiao feigned a head-on clash and dodged Xu Wuyu’s Taixuan Palm Force, which killed several Fang Family disciples.
• Huang Xiao struck Xu Wuyu from behind, but Xu Wuyu blocked the blow and sent Huang Xiao flying, worsening his injuries.
• Huang Xiao took a pill and began healing while Master Kongming agreed to hold Xu Wuyu off.
• Xu Wuyu pretended to attack Master Kongming, went around him, and raised his palm to strike the recovering Huang Xiao at the Baihui Point.

Xu Wuyu nearly killed Huang Xiao, but an unseen expert wounded him and forced him to reconsider. The rescuer revealed herself as the mysterious woman beside Zhao Xin'er, and Xu Wuyu led his men away after she ordered him to leave.

• Xu Wuyu attacked Huang Xiao, but a pebble pierced his palm and let Huang Xiao escape.
• Xu Wuyu searched for his attacker while Master Kongming and Huang Xiao realized an unknown expert had intervened.
• Zhao Xin'er and an unfamiliar woman appeared on a cliff, and Huang Xiao recognized Zhao Xin'er.
• Xu Wuyu respectfully addressed the women, and the unfamiliar woman’s cold rebuke shook his meridians.
• Xu Wuyu overruled Envoy Fang’s protest, accepted responsibility for retreating, and led his men away when the woman ordered him to get lost.

After the Fang Family threat passed, Zhao Xin'er’s powerful mother left with her, and Huang Xiao resolved to travel to Kaifeng after learning they were heading there. The surviving martial artists began their journey back toward Great Song, while Master Kongming warned Huang Xiao about the dangers of his demonic cultivation.

• Zhao Xin'er’s mother rebuked Huang Xiao, then swept Zhao Xin'er away through the air, shocking Master Kongming and the surviving martial artists.
• Huang Xiao realized Zhao Xin'er’s mother knew about his connection with Zhao Xin'er and resolved to surpass Xu Wuyu.
• Master Kongming urged the wounded survivors to recover briefly and leave before the Fang Family returned.
• Huang Xiao told Master Kongming he planned to go to Kaifeng to formalize his position as a first-class Six Gates constable, hoping to see Zhao Xin'er there.
• Master Kongming warned Huang Xiao that demonic cultivation could lead to cultivation deviation or a descent into slaughter, and Huang Xiao said he would remember the warning.
• Master Kongming led the roughly seventy or eighty surviving martial artists toward Great Song, and Huang Xiao reflected on the deaths caused by struggles over treasures and secret manuals.

Li Jiqian and Zhang Pu discussed You Lian'er’s return, the Fang Family’s defeat, the Seven Spirit Atlas, and Li Jiqian’s uncertain future. Li Jiqian’s wife arrived with medicine that could extend his life by at most five years, and he affirmed that he did not regret choosing to reclaim the Land of the Five Provinces.

• Zhang Pu told Li Jiqian that You Lian'er had returned safely and might have taken a fancy to someone.
• Li Jiqian and Zhang Pu discussed how the Fang Family’s use of Ghost Gu Miasma had turned Great Song’s anger against them, and considered how to handle demands for the Seven Spirit Atlas.
• Li Jiqian asked Zhang Pu whether he should acknowledge a woman, but ultimately decided that the greater situation came first.
• Li Jiqian’s wife entered the study and gave him a jade vial that could prolong his life by at most five years.
• Li Jiqian reassured his wife that he did not blame her and said he would have chosen to guard the Land of the Five Provinces regardless.

Li Jiqian urged Madam You to reconsider arranging You Lian'er’s marriage to Tuoba Ge, but she insisted the You Family could not risk refusing the alliance. Madam You then revealed she planned to make the complete Seven Spirit Atlas public to draw the Jianghu into searching for the Seven Spirit Blades and weaken the Fang Family, though their secret remained unknown.

• Madam You explained that the Fang Family’s pressure had forced her to keep Li Jiqian’s paternity of You Lian'er secret, and Li Jiqian agreed not to acknowledge her yet.
• Li Jiqian challenged Madam You’s plan to marry You Lian'er to Tuoba Ge, warning that the Tuoba Family might exploit the You Family and that his daughter could love someone else.
• Madam You insisted the marriage was settled because the You Family could not afford the risk of rejecting the Tuoba Family.
• Madam You said the You Family would reveal its portion of the Seven Spirit Atlas, giving the world the complete atlas and prompting a struggle over the Seven Spirit Blades.
• Madam You explained that the resulting fighting could cost the Fang Family strength and that the You Family had not found any blades beyond the Heaven-Burning Blade.
• Li Jiqian asked what secret the Seven Spirit Blades concealed, but Madam You said even the You Family elders did not know.

Madam You learned that You Lian'er had obtained the Fifth Tone of the Netherworld Demon Eight Tones from Huang Xiao, who possessed the Heavenly Demon Canon. She wanted the You Family to secure him, but agreed to hear You Lian'er's plan for obtaining the canon.

• Li Jiqian asked Madam You to stay the night, but she left to visit You Lian'er, and he decided to spend the night with Consort Liu.
• You Lian'er played a previously unheard piece that affected the maids listening nearby, then dismissed them when she noticed a broken note.
• Madam You visited You Lian'er and recognized the piece as the Fifth Tone of the Netherworld Demon Eight Tones.
• You Lian'er confirmed that Huang Xiao had obtained the Heavenly Demon Canon and practiced the Heavenly Demon Skill recorded in it.
• Madam You insisted the You Family must keep Huang Xiao from falling into another family's hands, but agreed to consider You Lian'er's approach.

You Lian'er told Madam You how she had used the Jade Maiden Purity Heart Sutra to help Huang Xiao cultivate the Heavenly Demon Skill, and Madam You realized it had quietly awakened affection in her daughter. After You Lian'er reported a mysterious Golden Banner Guard officer’s warning to the You Family, Madam You agreed to explain what she knew about him.

• You Lian'er recounted how Xu Wuyu and the Taixuan Sect had become involved in her ordeal, then explained that she had used the Jade Maiden Purity Heart Sutra to help Huang Xiao break through to the fourth level of the Heavenly Demon Skill.
• Madam You realized the Sutra’s influence had caused You Lian'er to develop a growing affection for Huang Xiao and resolved to keep them apart, considering the Tuoba Family’s marriage proposal.
• You Lian'er explained that a powerful old man at the Fang Family’s side had overwhelmed her and the Poison God Valley man, revealed he was not a Fang Family member, and recognized the Heavenly Demon Skill.
• You Lian'er relayed the old man’s message that the You Family should remember its proper duty, identifying him as the Third Deputy Standard-Bearer of the Golden Banner Guard.
• Madam You recognized the significance of the message, and after You Lian'er asked about the officer’s background, she agreed to tell her what she knew.

Madam You explained the Heavenly Demon Guard’s history and its requirement that a claimant master the Heavenly Demon Skill to the sixth stage before it would recognize him as sect master. She abandoned plans to seize Huang Xiao by force and began considering a softer way to obtain the Heavenly Demon Canon.

• Madam You told You Lian'er that the Heavenly Demon Guard, once the Heavenly Demon Sect's strongest force, still remained powerful despite its decline.
• Madam You explained that the Fang Family had failed to subdue the Heavenly Demon Guard and that only someone who mastered the Heavenly Demon Skill could gain its acknowledgment as sect master.
• You Lian'er worried that Huang Xiao's cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Skill would make the Heavenly Demon Guard recognize him, but Madam You said he needed to reach the sixth stage first.
• Madam You reasoned that the Golden Banner Guard's Third Deputy Standard-Bearer had not seized Huang Xiao, suggesting the Guard still followed the sect rules, though it might protect him in secret.
• Madam You reconsidered taking Huang Xiao by force and contemplated using You Lian'er's feminine charms to obtain the Heavenly Demon Canon.
• Madam You left to give instructions to You Lian'er's godfather and told You Lian'er to continue practicing the Netherworld Demon Eight Tones.

Huang Xiao reached Kaifeng after declining Master Kongming’s invitation to visit Shaolin, intent on joining the Six Gates and using its network to search for Zhao Xin'er. After asking a bookseller for directions, he browsed the shop for books with titles related to Heaven.

• Master Kongming invited Huang Xiao to rest at Shaolin, but Huang Xiao declined because he had urgent business in Kaifeng.
• Huang Xiao parted from Master Kongming and hurried to Kaifeng, where he planned to confirm his position as a First-Class Constable and look for clues about Zhao Xin'er.
• Huang Xiao entered a bookshop to ask for directions, and the bookseller first tried to sell him examination questions.
• The bookseller recognized Huang Xiao as a man of the Jianghu and gave him directions to the Six Gates.
• Huang Xiao decided to browse the bookshop and searched its shelves for books titled Heaven and Earth, The Revolution of Heaven, and The Way of Heaven.

Huang Xiao searched a bookshop for clues about the Scripture of Great Peace, found nothing unusual in the three essays, and bought them before going to the Six Gates headquarters to exchange his token. At the entrance, Tuoba Shun confronted him over his Reserve Constable status, but Du Ge arrived and recognized Huang Xiao.

• Huang Xiao read Heaven and Earth, The Revolution of Heaven, and The Way of Heaven, found no hidden cultivation method, and bought the books after deciding his theory might be wrong.
• Huang Xiao followed directions to the Six Gates headquarters and reflected on how its modest appearance contrasted with his expectations.
• Tuoba Shun and two other constables demanded that Huang Xiao move aside and apologize, but Huang Xiao calmly refused to be intimidated.
• Tuoba Shun threatened Huang Xiao and rebuked Yao Wu for trying to intervene.
• Du Ge arrived, and Huang Xiao greeted him; Du Ge recognized Huang Xiao and recalled their earlier meeting on Zhongnan Mountain.

Huang Xiao arrived at Six Gates headquarters to register for the First-Class Constable assessment, with Du Ge guiding him and praising his progress. Tuoba Shun decided to volunteer as Huang Xiao’s examiner so he could interfere with the assessment and upset Du Ge.

• Du Ge recognized Huang Xiao, dismissed Tuoba Shun’s earlier troublemaking, and offered to guide Huang Xiao through Six Gates headquarters.
• Yao Wu learned that Huang Xiao was seeking promotion, while Tuoba Shun and Wang Hu plotted to use the assessment against him.
• Tuoba Shun agreed to volunteer as Huang Xiao’s examiner after Wang Hu suggested that he could block Huang Xiao’s promotion.
• Du Ge led Huang Xiao through the extensive Six Gates grounds as constables greeted him respectfully.
• Du Ge brought Huang Xiao to Steward Wu to register for the assessment, which was scheduled for the following day.

Huang Xiao registered for the First-Class Constable assessment at Six Gates headquarters after Steward Wu confirmed Huaqing City had appraised him as a Second-Class Constable. Tuoba Shun volunteered to serve as an assessor and planned to manipulate the assignments so he could target Huang Xiao.

• Du Ge introduced Huang Xiao to Steward Wu, and Huang Xiao registered for the First-Class Constable assessment scheduled for the next day.
• Steward Wu warned Huang Xiao that assessments could be dangerous, but Huang Xiao confirmed he would take it.
• Tuoba Shun volunteered as an assessor after Huang Xiao and Du Ge left.
• Tuoba Shun told Wang Hu he would arrange Huang Xiao's assignment so he could confront him, even if it meant paying to change the allocation.

Huang Xiao and Du Ge shared a meal and discussed their martial arts progress and fortunate encounters. After Yao Wu reported that Tuoba Shun would judge the upcoming assessment, Du Ge told Huang Xiao that the matter concerned him too.

• Du Ge hosted Huang Xiao at the Six Gates restaurant and described how Xie Qing’s instruction had helped him reach first-rate upper grade.
• Huang Xiao told Du Ge that he had joined Poison God Valley after accidentally reaching it while seeking treatment for Life-Severing Hour.
• Yao Wu reported that Tuoba Shun was one of the judges for the assessment.
• Du Ge sent Yao Wu away and began explaining to Huang Xiao why Tuoba Shun’s role concerned him.

Huang Xiao learned that Tuoba Shun planned to target him during the assessment, and he resolved to respond according to how far Tuoba went. After leaving the restaurant, Huang Xiao recognized Senior Brother Liu and confronted him, but their conversation was interrupted by three men calling Liu a eunuch and urging him back to the palace.

• Du Ge told Huang Xiao that Tuoba Shun had joined the assessment panel to take revenge on Du Ge by targeting Huang Xiao.
• Huang Xiao said he might kill Tuoba Shun if Tuoba tried to kill him, and Du Ge warned that the Tuoba Family could retaliate.
• Du Ge left after Xie Qing summoned him, and Huang Xiao later spotted a familiar man leaving the restaurant.
• Huang Xiao used the alleys to get ahead of the man, recognized him as Senior Brother Liu, and blocked his path.
• Senior Brother Liu asked Huang Xiao to find somewhere private to talk, but three men arrived and called him Eunuch Liu, saying they had to return to the palace.

Huang Xiao encountered Liu Dacheng, a former Iron Sword Sect disciple who had become a palace eunuch after Zhang Long and Hu Qingqing mutilated him and left him for dead. Huang Xiao believed Liu Dacheng’s account and let him live, promising not to spare Zhang Long and Hu Qingqing if he found them.

• Huang Xiao recognized Liu Dacheng as Hu Guyi’s disciple and followed him into an alley to hear what he wanted to say.
• Liu Dacheng explained that Zhang Long and Hu Qingqing had crippled him, and that Hu Guyi had used him to gain Daoist Xuanzhenzi’s trust and benefits for the Iron Sword Sect.
• Liu Dacheng said a junior brother helped him escape, a palace eunuch saved him, and he had endured life in the palace while seeking revenge on Zhang Long and Hu Qingqing.
• Huang Xiao accepted Liu Dacheng’s story, spared him, and promised he would show Zhang Long and Hu Qingqing no mercy if he encountered them.
• Liu Dacheng noticed Huang Xiao’s Six Gates badge and offered to help him through his palace connection if he ran into trouble.

Huang Xiao discovered instruments in his Six Gates lodgings and practiced his cultivation before being confronted by Tuoba Shun, who demanded that he vacate his room. Huang Xiao paid for the night and challenged the complaint on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Huang Xiao examined the elegant lodgings and recognized that the xiao and flute could be used to practice Heavenly Demon Dragon Roar, but he refrained from playing because other guests were nearby.
• Huang Xiao cultivated Heavenly Demon Skill and Everlasting Spring Ageless True Qi for four hours, consolidating his fourth-layer breakthrough and advancing toward fourfold force in Heavenly Demon Subduing Tiger Fist.
• After midnight, Huang Xiao heard an argument outside and took the flute and xiao with him as he left his room.
• Tuoba Shun and three Heaven Gate First-Class Constables demanded that the steward clear a room for them and ordered Huang Xiao to leave because he was a Reserve Constable.
• Huang Xiao tossed the steward a hundred-tael banknote and said he had checked in first, so no one could blame him for arriving late.

Huang Xiao used the Six Gates’ rules to keep Tuoba Shun from forcing him out, then faced Tuoba’s threat to teach him a lesson. Iron Crutch explained that fighting back would not count as defying a superior, and the crowd learned Huang Xiao planned to take the First-Class Constable Examination as the confrontation began.

• Huang Xiao paid the steward a hundred taels for his lodging, preventing Tuoba Shun from claiming he was abusing Du Ge’s authority.
• Tuoba Shun learned Du Ge was away and threatened to discipline Huang Xiao, while the First-Class Constables around them mocked and challenged him.
• Iron Crutch offered to help Huang Xiao and warned Tuoba Shun not to strike too hard, but other constables’ support for Tuoba ended the offer.
• Huang Xiao asked whether fighting back would violate the rule against defying a superior, and Iron Crutch said defeating Tuoba could earn him First-Class Constable rank.
• Tuoba Shun prepared to fight Huang Xiao, and the surrounding constables realized Huang Xiao intended to take the First-Class Constable Examination.

Huang Xiao toyed with Tuoba Shun before defeating him with one move and using his grappling skills against Tuoba Shun’s allies. As two of the allies retreated, Huang Xiao caught up with one, who turned and attacked him.

• Huang Xiao dodged Tuoba Shun’s attacks around the courtyard while the First-Class Constables realized Huang Xiao was far stronger than they had assumed.
• Huang Xiao taunted Tuoba Shun about the Tuoba Family’s Force-Shifting Position Exchange, angering him into charging again.
• Huang Xiao seized Tuoba Shun by the throat, pinned him against a tree, and sealed his acupoints with a single move.
• When Tuoba Shun’s three friends charged, Huang Xiao struck Tuoba Shun in the abdomen and broke one attacker’s arm before sending him through a courtyard wall.
• The other two First-Class Constables fled, but Huang Xiao caught up with one, who turned and drove a palm toward Huang Xiao’s chest.

Huang Xiao defeated three First-Class Constables and brutally punished Tuoba Shun without killing them, then faced Retainer Yang Quan when he intervened. The chapter ended with Huang Xiao cheekily claiming he had obeyed Yang Quan’s order to stay his hand because he had kicked Tuoba Shun instead.

• Huang Xiao struck down one First-Class Constable with his Blazing Yang Palm and hit another fleeing constable with his Air-Piercing Finger.
• Huang Xiao kicked and trampled Tuoba Shun, tormenting him until Tuoba Shun was barely breathing and refused to give the demanded hundred kowtows.
• Yang Quan arrived, caught Tuoba Shun, and rebuked him for disgracing the Tuoba Family before demanding that Huang Xiao show proper respect to a Retainer.
• Iron Crutch warned Huang Xiao that Yang Quan had the authority to kill him, but Huang Xiao refused to kneel or yield.
• Yang Quan accused Huang Xiao of striking Tuoba Shun after being ordered to stop, and Huang Xiao replied that he had only used his foot, not his hand.