Chapter Summaries

Huang Xiao and Qingfeng joined forces to control the heaven and earth momentum and suppress Tuoba Ao, allowing Huang Xiao to wound him with a six-layer strike. Huang Xiao and Tuoba Ao then raised their power and clashed again, while Qingfeng struggled to maintain control and Ling Tianya watched Huang Xiao’s battered condition in anguish.

• Qingfeng told Huang Xiao he could help, and the two combined their control over the heaven and earth momentum to suppress Tuoba Ao.
• Huang Xiao dodged Tuoba Ao’s attacks, endured a palm strike, and landed a six-layer fist strike that forced Tuoba Ao to retreat and spit blood.
• Huang Xiao and Tuoba Ao each forcibly raised their power and charged into a fierce clash.
• Ling Tianya watched Huang Xiao’s bloodied, mangled state helplessly as Qingfeng trembled from maintaining the suppression.

Huang Xiao and Tuoba Ao fought while gravely wounded, and Huang Xiao used reverse rotation of his northern darkness true qi to launch a powerful attack. As Tuoba Ao’s claw reached Huang Xiao’s chest, Qingfeng collapsed after spewing blood, leaving the attack’s outcome unresolved.

• Huang Xiao told Qingfeng that victory depended on one final move, and Qingfeng forced himself to continue controlling the Heaven and Earth momentum despite his injuries.
• Huang Xiao charged at Tuoba Ao and pretended to use Heavenly Demon Disintegration, unsettling Tuoba Ao before revealing his true attack.
• Huang Xiao made the northern darkness true qi in his dantian rotate in reverse, converted the surging qi into heavenly demon true qi, and struck with the Seven Layer Force of the Heavenly Demon Subduing Tiger Fist.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng tightened their control over the Heaven and Earth momentum, restricting Tuoba Ao as he tried to block Huang Xiao’s punch with a claw aimed at his heart.
• Tuoba Ao’s claw touched Huang Xiao’s chest over his heart just as Qingfeng screamed, vomited blood, and collapsed beside Old Sun.

Qingfeng and Huang Xiao’s plan let Huang Xiao survive Tuoba Ao’s fatal strike and kill him in their final clash. Tuoba Ao died, while Qingfeng remained unconscious from his effort.

• Qingfeng collapsed unconscious, and Old Sun confirmed that he was still breathing.
• Huang Xiao’s punch shattered Tuoba Ao’s organs, while Qingfeng’s interference caused Tuoba Ao’s claw to miss Huang Xiao’s heart.
• Huang Xiao stopped the bleeding from his chest wound as Tuoba Ao’s life began to fade.
• Tuoba Ao reflected on his defeat and invited Huang Xiao to finish him.
• At Ling Tianya’s urging, Huang Xiao struck Tuoba Ao’s Baihui Point, killing him.

Huang Xiao killed Tuoba Ao, but Tuoba Ao used the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse to strike Huang Xiao with a final attack before dying. Huang Xiao and Qingfeng confirmed Tuoba Ao was truly dead, though Huang Xiao's condition remained uncertain.

• Tuoba Ao revived briefly and seized Huang Xiao, then launched the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse into Huang Xiao's forehead.
• Tuoba Ao died after using his blood essence for the curse, and Ling Tianya rushed to Huang Xiao's side.
• Huang Xiao told Ling Tianya he was fine, while Old Sun urged everyone to verify Tuoba Ao's death.
• Tong Jiuyang and Mu Jingfei proposed burning Tuoba Ao's corpse, but Huang Xiao insisted he was dead.
• Qingfeng awoke and agreed with Huang Xiao, who explained that his half-step martial realm sense confirmed Tuoba Ao had no life left.

After Tuoba Ao’s death, Huang Xiao and the others debated the fate of Wu Longfeng and the Taixuan Sect. Old Sun persuaded them to preserve the sect’s legacy, while Huang Xiao argued that Zhuge Zheng should also be spared.

• Tong Jiuyang asked for Tuoba Ao’s corpse to be cremated, and Old Sun told Huang Xiao to take the scroll from it.
• Ling Tianya and Tong Jiuyang called for Wu Longfeng and the Taixuan Sect to be eliminated, but Old Sun asked them to spare the sect because of his friendship with Li Bai.
• Huang Xiao clarified that Old Sun wanted the Taixuan Sect preserved, not Wu Longfeng spared, and Tong Jiuyang agreed.
• Ling Tianya agreed to execute Wu Longfeng and wipe out the Taixuan Sect’s experts, but Huang Xiao asked to spare Zhuge Zheng because he believed Zhuge Zheng had decent character.

Huang Xiao and the others confronted Wu Longfeng, who chose to take his own life rather than be killed by his opponents. Afterward, Huang Xiao proposed Li Wujing as the Taixuan Sect’s new sect master, surprising Zhuge Zheng and the others.

• Ling Tianya agreed that Wu Longfeng had to die, and Huang Xiao told Wu Longfeng he would have to answer for his past deeds.
• Wu Longfeng reflected on his defeat and spoke with Old Sun about the reasons Old Sun had sacrificed his cultivation.
• Wu Longfeng severed his own heart meridians and died, leaving Zhuge Zheng and the others stunned.
• Huang Xiao told Zhuge Zheng that the Taixuan Sect needed a new sect master.
• When Tong Jiuyang suggested Zhuge Zheng, Huang Xiao instead asked what they thought of Li Wujing.

Huang Xiao arranged for Zhuge Zheng to assist Li Wujing as the Taixuan Sect’s new Sect Master, and Zhuge Zheng agreed to manage opposition within the sect. Old Sun explained that the scroll was the key to the Seven Spirit Blades’ secret and recalled Li Bai’s instructions, leaving everyone to wonder how Li Bai had reached the hidden place without collecting all seven blades.

• Huang Xiao asked Zhuge Zheng to assist Li Wujing, and Zhuge Zheng agreed to support the new Sect Master and handle the Taixuan Sect’s internal affairs.
• Tong Jiuyang urged everyone to hurry, and Old Sun told them that the secret was not in the thatched hut and that the scroll was the key.
• Old Sun said he had remembered Li Bai’s instructions only after arriving at the hidden place.
• Old Sun recalled Li Bai telling him to take what lay in a peach blossom paradise beyond the world and return by the way he came.
• Old Sun said Li Bai had likely visited the place, though he did not know how Li Bai entered without gathering all the Seven Spirit Blades.

Huang Xiao and the others left the sealed underground passage with the fallen men and searched the chamber for the secret Li Bai had promised, but found nothing. After learning that Taixuan Sect forces threatened Kaifeng and the border passes, they decided to return at once and seek the secret later.

• Ling Tianya, Mu Jingfei, Tong Jiuyang, and Zhuge Zheng carried the dead while Duan Siping helped the gravely wounded Old Sun out before the stone gate sealed the passage.
• Huang Xiao took the golden key, but the Seven-Spirit Disc crumbled to powder when he tried to remove it.
• The group searched the stone chamber for half a shichen and found no sign of the promised surprise.
• Qingfeng warned Huang Xiao that Kaifeng and the border passes were in danger, and Zhuge Zheng explained that Taixuan Sect forces were attacking Kaifeng while Dalhe threatened Great Song's borders.
• Tong Jiuyang tried to attack Zhuge Zheng, but Duan Siping stopped him, and Huang Xiao ordered everyone to return immediately.

Huang Xiao’s scroll reacted to the pool beneath the Rock Cave and revealed Li Bai’s account of the hidden formation and four scriptures left in the valley. The group learned how Li Bai discovered the place and concealed the scriptures, but they did not know whether Fang Chongyi and Tuoba Ao’s copies still existed.

• Huang Xiao’s scroll grew hot and glowed as the pool below the Rock Cave shimmered in response.
• Huang Xiao opened the scroll and read Li Bai’s message explaining that gathering the Seven Spirit Blades could unseal the Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation.
• Li Bai’s account revealed that he had found the formation, discovered the four scriptures in the Thatched Hut, and hidden them rather than destroy them.
• Huang Xiao recalled that Fang Chongyi and Tuoba Ao had fought over the scriptures, and considered whether Tuoba Ao had once tried to obtain the Three Sovereigns Scripture.
• Old Sun and Duan Siping discussed Li Bai’s Martial Realm abilities, while Tong Jiuyang lamented that the four scriptures might have been lost.

Huang Xiao and the others discovered that the Pool concealed Li Bai’s Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation, which could be unsealed using all seven Seven Spirit Blades. They learned only those meeting Li Bai’s cultivation requirements could enter, and Huang Xiao stayed behind to investigate while others prepared to respond to urgent threats.

• Qingfeng pointed out that they had gathered all seven Seven Spirit Blades and could now attempt to unseal the formation beneath the Pool.
• Huang Xiao and the others approached the Pool, and the scroll activated Li Bai’s message, revealing the formation’s location and its requirements.
• The formation’s mist dispersed, exposing the Pool’s true depth of a thousand feet.
• Li Bai’s message warned that only people at the half-step Martial Realm who had mastered Heaven and Earth Momentum could enter safely, and that all seven Seven Spirit Blades had to be fused to unseal the formation.
• Tong Jiuyang proposed returning to Kaifeng, but Ling Tianya and Old Sun urged Huang Xiao to remain while they handled the threats in Kaifeng and at the Border Pass.

Duan Siping and Mu Jingfei agreed to go to Kaifeng with Tong Jiuyang’s group, while Huang Xiao and Qingfeng stayed behind to investigate the pool. Huang Xiao and Qingfeng dove into its freezing darkness to find the Heaven-Reaching Grand Formation.

• Duan Siping and Mu Jingfei volunteered to accompany Tong Jiuyang to Kaifeng.
• The group agreed to cremate Tuoba Ao, bury Wan Qingteng and Fang Chongyi, and bring Wu Longfeng’s body so the Taixuan Sect would accept his death.
• Old Sun asked Duan Siping to carry him and told Huang Xiao and Qingfeng to be cautious as they explored the formation.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng leaped into the pool and descended together, using their divine sense as the water grew colder and darker.
• Qingfeng worried they would not be able to see the formation, and Huang Xiao suggested sensing it or returning for Night Pearls if needed.

Huang Xiao and Qingfeng descended through the pool, overcame its Heaven and Earth Momentum pressure, and discovered a dry cave containing the Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation. They found a chamber filled with extraordinary blades and a rust-covered saber at the formation’s center.

• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng used their control of Heaven and Earth Momentum to resist the pool’s pressure as they descended.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng found a glowing opening at the pool’s bottom, and Qingfeng tested the halo before they passed through it.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng entered a dry, breathable cave and followed a passage into a vast stone chamber.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng saw the chamber floor packed with valuable sabers and swords, none of which appeared rusty.
• Huang Xiao pointed out a rust-covered saber embedded in the stone platform at the center of the chamber.

Huang Xiao and Qingfeng used the fused Seven Spirit Blades key to unseal the Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation, awakening the rusty saber at its center. The saber absorbed the surrounding weapons’ murderous aura, shattered them, and sprang free; Huang Xiao caught it but was violently thrown to the ground.

• Huang Xiao failed to pull the saber from the stone platform by force, and Qingfeng found a key-shaped groove that matched the fused Seven Spirit Blades key.
• Huang Xiao fitted the golden key into the groove, and it melted into liquid that filled the platform’s markings over an hour.
• The formation’s pressure rose as the golden liquid flowed into the rusty saber, which appeared to lose some of its rust.
• The weapons embedded around the chamber trembled, gave off stronger murderous auras, and shattered as the central saber absorbed their killing intent or spiritual energy.
• The saber sprang toward the cave passage, and Huang Xiao caught its hilt before being slammed heavily into the ground.

Huang Xiao subdued a spiritually aware saber, though the effort aggravated the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse he had received from Tuoba Ao. He and Qingfeng then sensed that the Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation had changed and found ancient characters around the vanished saber hole.

• Huang Xiao fought the saber’s fierce resistance, endured its killing intent, and eventually suppressed it with his true qi.
• Huang Xiao’s Demon-Ghost Blood Curse erupted after the struggle, and Qingfeng caught him as he nearly collapsed; Huang Xiao admitted he had only suppressed the curse temporarily.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng approached the stone platform and sensed that the Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation seemed to lead somewhere else.
• Qingfeng pointed out that the saber hole had disappeared, and Huang Xiao saw tiny ancient characters carved around its former location.

After unsealing the Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation, Huang Xiao and Qingfeng discovered a warning that it connected their land to the dangerous Martial World. They worried that someone had hidden the warning deliberately, then resolved to take responsibility while wondering whether the Martial World was the legendary Immortal Realm.

• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng read the warning that the formation led to the Martial World and that entering it required reaching the Martial Realm while returning required an enormous price.
• Huang Xiao questioned why the warning had appeared only after they unsealed the formation, and he suspected someone had concealed it with another formation.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng considered whether Senior Li or an earlier Martial Realm expert had hidden the warning, and feared that hostile outsiders might invade their land.
• Huang Xiao vowed that he and Qingfeng would grow stronger and defend the innocent, while Qingfeng suggested asking Zhao Yunhui whether she could reseal the formation.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng speculated that the Martial World might be the legendary Immortal Realm, accessible only to Martial Realm experts.

Huang Xiao and Qingfeng confirmed that the Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation could lead them to the Martial World, though Huang Xiao chose to stay for the sake of his family. They identified Huang Xiao’s rusty saber as the legendary Minghong Saber and set off for Kaifeng.

• Qingfeng explained that the unsealed grand formation could let them reach the Martial World, but Huang Xiao said he did not want to leave his family yet.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng examined the broken weapons and noticed the character “Ming” engraved on Huang Xiao’s rusty saber.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng inferred that the saber was the legendary Minghong Saber, though its rust left them uncertain whether it was genuine.
• Huang Xiao and Qingfeng finished searching the area, climbed out of the pool, and hurried toward Kaifeng to catch up with Old Sun and the others.

The Taixuan Sect’s Four Great Deputy Sect Masters fought Ran Chou, Min Yijiang, and their allies in the Imperial Palace while the battle for Kaifeng continued. You Lian’er and the other three women kept Yu Yizhong and Lei Teng at bay, and You Lian’er’s attack narrowly missed Yu Yizhong’s head.

• Ran Chou and Min Yijiang faced Guo Jiao and Gong Xi, who claimed the Taixuan Sect had already secured the Seven Spirit Blades’ secret.
• Ran Chou pointed out that the four women were holding off the Taixuan Sect’s Fourth and Fifth Deputy Sect Masters.
• Guo Jiao rebuked Yu Yizhong and Lei Teng for failing to defeat the women, and Yu Yizhong vowed to finish the fight.
• You Lian’er attacked Yu Yizhong with a saber, forcing him to evade her strikes and block two streams of Sword Qi.
• Yu Yizhong retreated beside Lei Teng as severed strands of hair fell from his head.

Yu Yizhong and Lei Teng confronted the four women, whose coordinated weapons and formation kept them from being at a disadvantage. Yu Yizhong charged into the fight alone, determined to prove his strength and improve his standing among the Taixuan Sect's Deputy Sect Masters.

• Yu Yizhong swore revenge after the four women cut off his hair, while Lei Teng warned him not to underestimate their joint formation.
• You Lian'er taunted Yu Yizhong, and Xiao Yan and Zhao Xin'er urged the women to attack without mercy.
• The four women joined forces again against Yu Yizhong and Lei Teng, confident in their paired weapons and Yin-Yang Two Principles techniques.
• Yu Yizhong charged ahead alone despite Lei Teng's concern, driven by his resentment over ranking fifth among the Deputy Sect Masters and his defeat by Lei Teng.

You Lian'er, Xiao Yan, Zhao Yunhui, and Zhao Xin'er fought Lei Teng and Yu Yizhong while Ran Chou and Min Yijiang struggled against Guo Jiao and Gong Xi. As Ran Chou and Min Yijiang came under mounting pressure, Xiao Yan urged the women to defeat their opponents quickly so they could help.

• You Lian'er and Xiao Yan teamed up against Yu Yizhong, while Zhao Yunhui and Zhao Xin'er kept Lei Teng from joining him.
• You Lian'er and Xiao Yan's coordinated saber techniques continued to suppress Yu Yizhong even after he unleashed more power.
• Guo Jiao told Gong Xi to kill Min Yijiang within two hours, and Gong Xi charged into battle against him.
• Ran Chou and Min Yijiang resumed fighting Guo Jiao and Gong Xi, whose clashes injured and killed nearby fighters.
• Xiao Yan urged the other women to finish off Lei Teng and Yu Yizhong quickly so they could aid Ran Chou and Min Yijiang.

Liu Dacheng joined the battle after Zhao Yuankan sent him to help the retreating Jianghu fighters, and his needle technique helped steady their retreat. Han Qing recognized the technique and confronted him, then exploited Liu Dacheng’s concern for nearby fighters to close in.

• The Four Women struggled to defeat Lei Teng and Yu Yizhong quickly as their side’s forces fell back toward the Imperial Palace’s Main Hall.
• Zhao Yuankan refused to retreat and sent Liu Dacheng to assist the battle.
• Liu Dacheng killed dozens of Taixuan Sect experts with Qiu Kui’s needle technique, helping the Jianghu fighters halt their retreat and organize a counterattack.
• Han Qing recognized Liu Dacheng’s needle technique as Qiu Kui’s and challenged him to a fight.
• Liu Dacheng evaded Han Qing’s attacks, but Han Qing redirected his needles toward nearby Jianghu fighters, giving himself a chance to close in.