Chapter Summaries

Huang Xiao killed Steward Kong and damaged the ship to help himself and Zhao Yunhui escape, while Li Wujing let them go. Cao Wuxin emerged from seclusion and pursued them, and Zhao Yunhui warned Huang Xiao about using the Heavenly Demon Skill as she began carving something into pieces of wood.

• Li Wujing watched Huang Xiao kill Steward Kong and felt that the death eased some of his hatred.
• Huang Xiao smashed open the ship's hull, then returned to Zhao Yunhui's boat and rowed away.
• Li Wujing killed a guard who challenged him and ordered the others to repair the flooding ship.
• Cao Wuxin emerged from seclusion, learned that Steward Kong was dead, and sped after Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui.
• Zhao Yunhui warned Huang Xiao not to use the Heavenly Demon Skill lightly, then began carving on pieces of wood with her hairpin.

Zhao Yunhui laid a Bewildering Illusion Formation on the sea while she and Huang Xiao fled toward Great Song, but Cao Wuxin caught up and pursued them. He fell into the formation, giving the pair a chance to escape.

• Zhao Yunhui insisted on setting up a formation despite Huang Xiao saying their pursuers’ ship had been damaged.
• Zhao Yunhui carved formation foundations into wooden boards and cast them into the sea, explaining that the Bewildering Illusion Formation could delay Cao Wuxin.
• Cao Wuxin rapidly approached their boat, and Huang Xiao told Zhao Yunhui to flee while he held him off.
• Zhao Yunhui refused to leave Huang Xiao and urged him to keep rowing, believing Cao Wuxin’s power would run out if they got far enough away.
• Cao Wuxin insulted the pair and threatened to take Zhao Yunhui, angering Huang Xiao and prompting him to vow to kill Cao Wuxin one day.
• Zhao Yunhui spotted Cao Wuxin circling in the formation, and she and Huang Xiao rowed on, hoping it would hold him long enough for them to escape.

Cao Wuxin became trapped in Zhao Yunhui’s sea formation while pursuing Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui, giving them time to escape. After the guards freed him by destroying the formation’s foundations, Cao Wuxin killed them and ordered a search for the fugitives.

• Cao Wuxin chased Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui’s boat but unknowingly ran in circles inside Zhao Yunhui’s formation.
• Cao Wuxin attacked the sea to break the formation, exhausted himself, and fell into the water while Li Wujing watched.
• Li Wujing sent guards to help Cao Wuxin, and they found and destroyed the formation’s wooden foundations.
• Cao Wuxin escaped the formation but found Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui had already fled, then killed the guards who had helped him.
• Cao Wuxin ordered a guard to send a carrier pigeon seeking information about Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui, while Li Wujing went to check on the ship repairs.

After reaching the Great Song, Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui put distance between themselves as their former identities and impossible relationship returned. They learned they were in Quanzhou territory and headed for a nearby town, where they noticed an unusual number of Jianghu people; their reason for gathering remained unknown.

• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui reached shore, but Zhao Yunhui declined his offered hand and asked them to address each other as senior brother and junior sister.
• Huang Xiao learned from an old man that they were in Quanzhou in Fujian Circuit, far from their intended destination of Guangzhou Prefecture.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui used their lightness skills to reach a nearby town, where Zhao Yunhui bought an ordinary pink dress and altered her appearance.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui noticed several groups of Jianghu people in the small town and went to a restaurant to investigate.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui sat upstairs at the restaurant, where many patrons had swords or sabers with them.

Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui ate at a restaurant in the Surging Spring Sect’s territory and overheard Jianghu folk discussing the search for them and the Seven Spirit Blades. The rumor revealed that the King of Xia had shared clues about the blades with the major sects, while Huang Xiao already knew a little about the matter from his time in Xiazhou.

• A waiter explained that the Surging Spring Sect kept order in the town, then Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui ordered dishes with grand names that turned out to be simple foods.
• While waiting for their meal, Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui overheard Jianghu folk saying they were presumed dead and that the Heartless Daoist offered a thousand taels of gold and a place as his disciple for information about Huang Xiao.
• Zhao Yunhui apologized for bringing trouble on Huang Xiao, who recognized the reward as the Heartless Daoist’s attempt to avenge Ning Buli.
• A Jianghu man claimed that the Seven Spirit Atlas’s secret could be unraveled by finding the Seven Spirit Blades, and said the King of Xia had given the major sects clues about them.
• The man admitted that all he knew was that the Seven Spirit Blades were seven blades, angering the people who had expected useful information.
• Huang Xiao remained outwardly calm but was surprised by the conversation because he had learned about the Seven Spirit Atlas and Seven Spirit Blades in Xiazhou.

Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui learned that rumors about the Seven Spirit Blades were stirring the Jianghu, then hurried to Quanzhou City to learn what had happened on the island. Their resemblance to wanted portraits gave the Surging Spring Sect a lead on them, and the chapter ended as Huang Xiao asked Pu Jie for news.

• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui discussed the Seven Spirit Blades and left the restaurant for Quanzhou City.
• Hero Liu showed portraits of a man and a woman to Jianghu figures, and several people recognized a strong resemblance between the man and Huang Xiao.
• The restaurant waiter confirmed that Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui had just eaten there, prompting Hero Liu to report the lead to the Surging Spring Sect.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui arrived at the Quanzhou Six Gates branch the next morning, where Pu Jie recognized Huang Xiao and mistook Zhao Yunhui for the Lingbo Fairy.
• Huang Xiao asked Pu Jie to tell them what had happened on the island.

Pu Jie told Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui that Li Jiqian had revealed the Seven Spirit Blades, and they realized Huang Xiao’s dagger was Godslayer, making him a target of the Jianghu. Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui left Quanzhou City for Kaifeng, planning to take a detour to avoid pursuers.

• Pu Jie sent word to Kaifeng that Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui had returned safely.
• Pu Jie showed them drawings of the Seven Spirit Blades and explained that Huang Xiao’s dagger was Godslayer.
• Huang Xiao learned that Jianghu factions were searching for him because of the blade and decided not to remain at the Six Gates branch.
• Zhao Yunhui insisted on accompanying Huang Xiao, and Pu Jie supplied them with travel provisions and money.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui rode out of Quanzhou City toward Kaifeng, planning to head west before turning north.

Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui evaded pursuers while traveling toward Kaifeng, using a disguise and a formation to escape notice. Three Soul-Devouring Demon Sect experts identified Huang Xiao and trapped the pair in the Three-Aspect God-Slaying Formation as they awaited their elder.

• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui camped in the woods, and Zhao Yunhui disguised Huang Xiao while their closeness unsettled him.
• A group of Jianghu fighters attacked them, but Zhao Yunhui's illusion formation made the fighters slaughter one another.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui left the area and rode through the night after sensing that factions were pursuing them.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui stopped to confront three pursuing First-Class Experts, hoping their deaths would deter other hunters.
• The three brothers recognized Huang Xiao, revealed that their elder was coming, and formed the Soul-Devouring Demon Sect's Three-Aspect God-Slaying Formation.

Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui defeated three Soul-Devouring Demon Sect fighters, escaped along the main road, and entered Wu City to avoid their pursuers. When a familiar voice called Huang Xiao’s name, he turned and reunited with Zhao Xin'er, who had arrived with Yan Zhong.

• Huang Xiao repeatedly feinted against the three fighters, disrupted their formation, and killed them with successive Blazing Yang Palm strikes.
• Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui chose the main road and entered Wu City, reasoning that their pursuers would be watching the smaller paths.
• Huang Xiao sensed someone watching them, and Zhao Yunhui urged him to leave the city at once.
• A woman called out to Huang Xiao, and he turned toward the voice despite Zhao Yunhui’s warning.
• Huang Xiao recognized Zhao Xin'er as she rushed toward him, with Yan Zhong following behind her.

After two months searching for Huang Xiao, Zhao Xin'er reunited with him and met her long-lost elder sister, Zhao Yunhui. Huang Xiao and Yan Zhong spoke privately about the disappearance and Huang Xiao’s rapid cultivation, while the sisters were left alone together to talk.

• Zhao Xin'er and Yan Zhong encountered Huang Xiao and Zhao Yunhui, and Zhao Xin'er recognized Huang Xiao and realized the Lingbo Fairy was her sister Zhao Yunhui.
• Yan Zhong led Huang Xiao away so Zhao Xin'er and Zhao Yunhui could speak privately at an inn.
• Huang Xiao told Yan Zhong how he and Zhao Yunhui survived a storm, reached an island, and eventually returned after two months.
• Yan Zhong noticed Huang Xiao had advanced to mid peerless and speculated that Poison God Valley was secretly training him with extraordinary arts.

Yan Zhong warned Huang Xiao that possession of Godslayer, one of the Seven Spirit Blades, could bring danger from forces across the Jianghu, including hidden sects and reclusive masters. Huang Xiao decided to give it to the Valley Master of Poison God Valley, but Yan Zhong warned that the Valley might face immense pressure from those pursuing the blades.

• Yan Zhong explained that Zhao Yunhui had helped Huang Xiao make great progress and warned him that the Seven Spirit Blades had stirred nearly the entire Jianghu, including hidden sects and reclusive masters.
• Yan Zhong contrasted the Seven Spirit Blades with the Heavenly Demon Canon, whose demonic skill required other techniques and conditions to master.
• Yan Zhong advised Huang Xiao to give up Godslayer, though he warned that enemies might still capture him to threaten Poison God Valley.
• Huang Xiao said he would hand Godslayer to the Valley Master when he returned, explaining that he trusted Poison God Valley and believed his Eldest Senior Brother Qingfeng's Demon Slayer meant the secret could not be fully uncovered without all seven blades.
• Yan Zhong praised Huang Xiao's decisiveness and predicted he might become one of Poison God Valley's leaders, then warned that the Valley might not withstand pressure from the many masters pursuing the blades.

Huang Xiao prepared to return to Poison God Valley while Yan Zhong escorted Zhao Yunhui and discussed which forces might possess the Seven Spirit Blades. After Yan Zhong inspected Godslayer, Zhao Yunhui and Zhao Xin'er joined them, and Zhao Xin'er asked to see Huang Xiao’s blade.

• Yan Zhong explained that he had to take Zhao Yunhui back to the Imperial Palace, while Huang Xiao planned to return to Poison God Valley before reporting to Six Gates headquarters.
• Yan Zhong told Huang Xiao that the You Family and Thousand Demons Sect were believed to hold Seven Spirit Blades, but Li Jiqian did not, leaving the whereabouts of four blades uncertain.
• Huang Xiao handed Godslayer to Yan Zhong, who admired its sharpness but could not identify any special property beyond its name and craftsmanship.
• Zhao Yunhui and Zhao Xin'er arrived after speaking privately, and Zhao Yunhui called Huang Xiao her senior brother as a cover identity.
• Zhao Xin'er asked to see Huang Xiao’s Seven Spirit Blade.

Zhao Yunhui and Zhao Xin'er decided to remain with Huang Xiao while he was targeted by the Remnant Demon Sect and Jianghu pursuers. Zhao Yunhui began preparing a dangerous Killing Formation, and Yan Zhong returned with the materials she requested.

• Yan Zhong urged Zhao Yunhui and Zhao Xin'er to return to the palace, but both princesses refused to leave Huang Xiao.
• Zhao Yunhui decided to set up a Killing Formation in the courtyard and sent Zhao Xin'er to help her prepare a list of materials.
• Yan Zhong went into the city to buy the materials while Huang Xiao stayed behind to protect the princesses.
• Zhao Xin'er shared an affectionate moment with Huang Xiao, then returned to the study when Zhao Yunhui called her.
• Two hours later, Yan Zhong returned with the materials, and Zhao Yunhui and Zhao Xin'er came out of the study to inspect them.

Zhao Yunhui and Zhao Xin'er prepared a deadly defense around the small courtyard, combining a killing formation with mechanisms and hidden weapons. After completing the setup, both princesses were exhausted and went to rest.

• Yan Zhong delivered the requested materials, and Zhao Yunhui revealed that Zhao Xin'er had requested many of them for her Mechanism Arts.
• Zhao Xin'er made Heaven-Shaking Thunders and an imitation Storm of Needles, explaining how the weapons would work with Zhao Yunhui's formation.
• Zhao Yunhui inscribed nine pieces of jade with her blood to prepare a killing formation she had partly comprehended from the Nine Palaces Grand Mystery Formation.
• Zhao Yunhui set up the formation around the courtyard while Zhao Xin'er installed mechanisms within it.
• Huang Xiao supported Zhao Xin'er as she rested, while Yan Zhong helped Zhao Yunhui; the two princesses then agreed to return to their rooms.

Huang Xiao and Yan Zhong prepared for the danger surrounding the Seven Spirit Blades, but the Soul-Devouring Demon Sect tracked them to their hiding place. The chapter ended with Zhu Yu realizing that a powerful expert was already inside and wondering whether another faction had beaten them there.

• Yan Zhong warned Huang Xiao that the formations and mechanisms could help defend them, and Huang Xiao reviewed the strengths and limits of his cultivation methods while meditating.
• At midnight, Huang Xiao, Yan Zhong, Zhao Yunhui, and Zhao Xin'er discovered that the Soul-Devouring Demon Sect had arrived outside the courtyard.
• Yan Zhong identified the sect's elder Zhu Yu, the Black-and-White Old Demon, and said he would face him while the others handled the remaining attackers.
• Yan Zhong called out that the sect had come to the wrong place, and his powerful voice made the Soul-Devouring Demon Sect members reconsider their certainty.
• Zhu Yu realized that an expert at least as powerful as himself was inside and wondered whether someone else had beaten his sect to Huang Xiao.

Zhu Yu’s attempt to seize the Seven Spirit Blades stalled when Yan Zhong’s group sheltered inside a dangerous formation, and the arrival of the other two Great Sects of the Evil Path turned the standoff into a much larger threat. Huang Xiao and his companions remained trapped behind the formation, hoping their enemies’ competing aims would give them a chance to escape.

• Zhu Yu sent three men into the formation, where they vanished and were killed, so he ordered a carrier pigeon sent to summon the other groups.
• Several camps arrived, and their leaders revealed that the Soul-Devouring Demon Sect had tracked Huang Xiao using Tracking Incense.
• Yan Zhong explained that the incense would fade within a few days, but warned Huang Xiao that the gathered forces had left them in serious danger.
• Zhu Yu recognized that the Remnant Demon Sect, Nine Nether Sect, and Netherworld Sect had all assembled, while their leaders argued over the Seven Spirit Blades and the princess.
• Yan Zhong identified Qiu Ping, Liu Fu, and Long Feng, warning that Long Feng’s formation skills could break their defenses quickly; Huang Xiao and the others resolved to stay calm and watch for an opening.

Qiu Ping, Liu Fu, and Zhu Yu failed to breach the formation protecting the courtyard and pressured Long Feng to use his formation skills. Long Feng weighed their threats and promises against his own goal of capturing Zhao Yunhui, then decided the Seven Spirit Blades were not worth competing for.

• Liu Fu mocked Long Feng and clashed with Qiu Ping, who was forced to abandon his attempt to push past him.
• Qiu Ping found a formation surrounding the courtyard and sent two subordinates inside; they screamed and fell silent.
• Long Feng recognized the formation’s danger and secretly focused on capturing Zhao Yunhui so he could obtain powerful formations.
• After Qiu Ping and Liu Fu admitted they could not break the formation, the three elders appealed to Long Feng’s expertise.
• Zhu Yu promised Long Feng the princess and help recovering the Yin Demon Treasure Scripture, while Liu Fu threatened him with losing both the princess and his life if he refused.
• Long Feng considered their offer and decided to pursue Zhao Yunhui rather than compete for the Seven Spirit Blades.

Long Feng agreed to study the Killing Formation and demanded that Qiu Ping, Zhu Yu, and Liu Fu send their people to assault it so he could uncover its workings. As the men died one after another, Zhao Yunhui and her companions realized Long Feng was progressing and considered killing him, but Zhao Yunhui stopped Yan Zhong before he went out.

• Long Feng rejected Qiu Ping’s six-hour deadline, then explained that sacrificing people to the Killing Formation could help him study it faster.
• Qiu Ping, Zhu Yu, and Liu Fu agreed to take turns sending their First-Class Experts into the formation, with Qiu Ping’s men going first.
• Qiu Ping’s first subordinate died inside the formation, and Long Feng said he needed more people to reveal its pattern.
• Liu Fu and the others sent more subordinates into the formation, but every one of them died.
• Zhao Yunhui and Huang Xiao warned that Long Feng was weakening the formations and could soon break through, so Yan Zhong offered to kill him.
• Zhao Yunhui stopped Yan Zhong before he could leave the formation to attack Long Feng.

Zhao Yunhui ordered Huang Xiao to expose flaws in the outer formations to lure the cautious Long Feng into the trap, while Long Feng continued dismantling the formations as Qiu Ping forced the factions to send more men to their deaths. As Long Feng made rapid progress, he sensed something wrong and abruptly retreated.

• Zhao Yunhui decided to sacrifice the perimeter formations to lure Long Feng inside, and Huang Xiao agreed to expose their flaws without making the trick obvious.
• Huang Xiao cleared corpses from the entrance and secretly revealed flaws while Long Feng dismantled the formations, unaware of the plan.
• Qiu Ping killed a First-Class Expert who refused to reenter the formation, then forced another man to charge in and die to its hidden steel needles.
• After the three leaders demanded that Remnant Demon Sect men take turns entering the formation, Long Feng agreed and continued breaking formations.
• Long Feng said he had grasped the outer formations' workings, then suddenly sensed danger and retreated several yards.

Long Feng doubted how easily he had broken the outer formations but was persuaded to continue, unaware that Zhao Yunhui had tampered with them. Zhao Yunhui trapped him inside a formation, where Yan Zhong attacked; Long Feng evaded Yan Zhong and fled toward the center of the great formation.

• Long Feng said breaking the outer formations had felt too easy, but Qiu Ping, Zhu Yu, and Liu Fu urged him to continue.
• Zhao Yunhui told Yan Zhong that she would reactivate the damaged formations and conceal their fight, while declining Zhao Xin'er’s offer to use her trump card.
• Zhao Yunhui triggered a broken formation, trapping Long Feng inside it as Yan Zhong charged at him.
• Qiu Ping and the other two spotted the formation but hesitated to enter, leaving Long Feng to face Yan Zhong alone.
• Long Feng used Silver Needles and a palm strike to evade Yan Zhong, then kicked backward and fled toward the center of the great formation.