Chapter Summaries

Uncle Wang dismissed Cheng Duanjin’s debt to Liu Zhi, then left the tea shop with Xiaolin. At the entrance, Void Martial Realm experts Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing attacked them, but both men were suddenly wounded and forced to their knees.

• Cheng Duanjin told Uncle Wang how Huang Xiao and Eunuch Jin had helped him survive Fan Zhongkun, and Xiaolin mocked his claims of Jianghu experience.
• Uncle Wang examined the broken saber, recognized Inugami, and declared Cheng Duanjin’s debt to Liu Zhi wiped clean because Liu Zhi had displeased him.
• Eunuch Jin apologized on Liu Zhi’s behalf, and Uncle Wang left the tea shop with Xiaolin while Cheng Duanjin hurried after them.
• Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang arrived at the entrance, and Zhong Tianlang swept his hand at Uncle Wang and Xiaolin to force them aside.
• Before the attack could reach them, Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang screamed, staggered backward, and dropped to one knee with blood at their mouths.

Wang Jiu, the Saber King, injured Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang after they offended him at the tea shop, then allowed them to leave. On the road to Qinyang City, Eunuch Jin identified Wang Jiu, and Liu Zhi regretted losing the chance to win his favor.

• Wang Jiu drove Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang from the tea shop after injuring them, while Xiaolin and Cheng Duanjin left with him.
• Liu Zhi, Zhu Yang, Liu Yu, and Eunuch Jin hurried away from the tea shop and discussed the old man's strength on the road.
• Eunuch Jin identified the old man as Wang Jiu, the Saber King, who had vanished from the Jianghu more than twenty years earlier.
• Liu Zhi regretted offending Wang Jiu and missing a chance to gain his support for the Imperial Court.
• Eunuch Jin explained that Wang Jiu had a peculiar temperament but seemed more restrained after years away from the world.

Eunuch Jin explained the Saber King's past conflict with the Sword Pavilion as Liu Zhi's group worried that the Imperial Court could not compete for Inugami. Meanwhile, Cheng Duanjin learned Xiaolin knew Uncle Wang was a great expert, and their bickering continued as they traveled toward Qinyang City.

• Eunuch Jin said the Saber King had fought the Sword Pavilion more than twenty years earlier, but his strength had not threatened its power as much as Senior Li's had.
• Liu Zhi feared the Saber King might now have reached the Martial Realm and said the Imperial Court could send only Void Martial Realm experts because of the Heavenly Sword Sect's pressure.
• Eunuch Jin urged the group to reach Qinyang City and quietly watch how the contest for Inugami unfolded.
• Cheng Duanjin asked Xiaolin why she had not told him Uncle Wang was a great expert, and Xiaolin pointed out that Uncle Wang must have guided him with the Saber Manual.
• Cheng Duanjin teased Xiaolin for relying on Uncle Wang's knowledge, so she twisted his ear until Uncle Wang told them to stop fooling around.

Uncle Wang revealed more of his connection to Xiaolin’s saber training and headed for Qinyang City, where he intended to confront the Sword Pavilion. In the city, Huang Xiao ate with Yang Hengchang’s party and claimed the honored seat beside him, leaving Feng Xiaofeng furious; the chapter ended as a waiter met an old man climbing toward the third floor.

• Cheng Duanjin realized Uncle Wang had taught Xiaolin his saber techniques, and Uncle Wang confirmed that Wang was truly his surname.
• Uncle Wang said he was heading to Qinyang City to repay Huang Xiao’s debt and show the Sword Pavilion what he could do, while Xiaolin declared her father was unafraid of them.
• Huang Xiao arrived in Qinyang City with Yang Hengchang’s group and refused Feng Xiaofeng’s attempt to order him around as they went to the Drunken Immortal Wine Shop.
• Yang Hengchang chose to dine in the common hall, and Huang Xiao sat at Yang Hengchang’s honored left despite Feng Xiaofeng’s protest.
• Yang Hengchang allowed Huang Xiao to keep the seat and warned him he had only a few days left, while Feng Xiaofeng paid the waiter five hundred taels for the meal.
• A waiter saw an old man climbing from the second floor toward the third and asked whether he was alone.

The Saber King, Wang Jiu, confronted Yang Hengchang and the Sword Pavilion disciples, overwhelming them with his power and revealing his identity. He spared their lives but ordered them to crawl out, leaving Yang Hengchang furious and stunned.

• An old man’s footsteps disrupted the Jianghu folk on the third floor, injuring Feng Xiaofeng and most of the others, while Huang Xiao resisted the force with the Upper Clarity Scripture.
• Yang Hengchang confronted the old man, who revealed himself as Wang Jiu, the Saber King and longtime enemy of the Sword Pavilion.
• Yang Hengchang recognized Wang Jiu and warned that the Sword Pavilion would target his disciple or successor, but Wang Jiu slashed his chest with a casual chopping motion.
• Wang Jiu said he had come to see the Sword Pavilion people and mocked their courage, while Yang Hengchang insisted they would not fear death.
• Wang Jiu spared the group and pointed toward the stairs, ordering Yang Hengchang and the others to crawl out.

Wang Jiu let Huang Xiao leave after learning he was the Transcendent Immortal Sword Lord’s successor, while Yang Hengchang and the Sword Pavilion remained trapped in the Drunken Immortal Wine Shop. Huang Xiao mocked Yang Hengchang from outside and flew off to get help, leaving the Sword Pavilion humiliated before the watching crowd.

• Yang Hengchang drove the Sword Pavilion members and onlookers downstairs as he struggled to decide whether to accept Wang Jiu’s demand to crawl out.
• Wang Jiu recognized Huang Xiao as an outsider and asked about his identity, but Feng Xiaofeng revealed that he was the Transcendent Immortal Sword Lord’s successor.
• Wang Jiu knocked Feng Xiaofeng down for interrupting and allowed Huang Xiao to leave, warning him not to fall into the Sword Pavilion’s hands again.
• Huang Xiao emerged from the Drunken Immortal Wine Shop and pretended to be a Sword Pavilion member as he mocked the crowd and called for Uncle-Master Yang to crawl down.
• Huang Xiao told Uncle-Master Yang to hold on while he went to get help, then flew away as the crowd speculated about his strength.
• Yang Hengchang heard the crowd’s assumptions and cursed Huang Xiao for bringing further shame on him and the Sword Pavilion.

After Wang Jiu forced Yang Hengchang and the Sword Pavilion members to crawl out of the Drunken Immortal Wine Shop, Yang Hengchang vented his humiliation by ordering an attack on the Jianghu crowd. Rumors spread through Qinyang City and damaged the Sword Pavilion’s reputation, while Yang Hengchang vowed to take revenge on Wang Jiu.

• Wang Jiu ordered Yang Hengchang and the others to come out, and they emerged from the Drunken Immortal Wine Shop after a quarter of an hour.
• Yang Hengchang ordered the Sword Pavilion members to kill the surrounding Jianghu people, and Feng Xiaofeng joined the fighting.
• Yang Hengchang killed several people with his Palm Force as the Jianghu crowd fled, while one survivor escaped his attack.
• A waiter emerged from the shop after the fighting ended, and rumors about Yang Hengchang crawling out spread throughout Qinyang City.
• Feng Xiaofeng reported the rumors to Yang Hengchang at the Swift Sword Inn, and Yang Hengchang silently vowed to repay Wang Jiu for the humiliation.

Yang Hengchang discovered that the Phoenix Blood had been stolen after he and Feng Xiaofeng left the Drunken Immortal Wine Shop. He suspected an unidentified expert who had brushed past him during the chaos, while ruling out the Saber King and the Rare Treasures Pavilion.

• Feng Xiaofeng turned back when Yang Hengchang cried out that his Phoenix Blood was missing.
• Yang Hengchang found only a vial of Red Fire Fruit Spirit Liquid and confirmed that the Phoenix Blood had disappeared.
• Feng Xiaofeng suspected the Saber King, but Yang Hengchang said he could not have stolen it without being noticed.
• Yang Hengchang recalled that the Phoenix Blood was still with them when they left the Drunken Immortal Wine Shop and suspected someone who had escaped his palm strike and swept past him.
• Yang Hengchang said he could barely remember the person's appearance and concluded that the thief was an expert.
• Feng Xiaofeng suspected the Rare Treasures Pavilion had leaked the news, but Yang Hengchang dismissed the idea.

After the Phoenix Blood was stolen, Yang Hengchang ordered his men to track Fan Zhongkun while Huang Xiao fled Qinyang City for Imperial Province. On the road, Hao Jinghai confronted Huang Xiao after learning he had slaughtered the God-Burying Hall’s branch altar.

• Yang Hengchang ordered his subordinates to find Fan Zhongkun’s exact location, hoping to earn merit in the struggle for Inugami.
• Huang Xiao left Qinyang City and headed toward Imperial Province, hoping to stay clear of the Sword Pavilion’s people.
• After four hours, Huang Xiao encountered Hao Jinghai, Deputy Hall Master of the God-Burying Hall, who blocked his path.
• Hao Jinghai revealed that his subordinates had identified Huang Xiao as the person who slaughtered the God-Burying Hall’s branch altar in Qinyang City and threatened him with the consequences.

Huang Xiao prepared to risk his life against Hao Jinghai, raising his power with the Heavenly Demon Skill and planning to use the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Art. As Hao Jinghai moved to attack, he spotted something to the side and reacted with delighted surprise.

• Huang Xiao accepted that he would likely die fighting Hao Jinghai and resolved to wound the Void Martial Realm expert with his full strength.
• Huang Xiao transformed his Northern Darkness True Qi into Heavenly Demon True Qi, and Hao Jinghai recognized the demonic aura and speculated that the Transcendent Immortal Sword Lord had studied demonic arts.
• Hao Jinghai underestimated Huang Xiao and held back to observe his techniques, while Huang Xiao continued building power and prepared to use the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Art.
• Hao Jinghai sensed that Huang Xiao's aura was unstable and decided to attack, but then turned toward something nearby and exclaimed that he had found what he was searching for.

Huang Xiao escaped after Fan Zhongkun challenged Hao Jinghai to keep the God-Burying Hall expert from pursuing him for the Minghong Saber. After reaching a riverside gathering of Jianghu fighters, Huang Xiao saw a woman in a pink dress riding toward them on a blood-red steed.

• Fan Zhongkun charged Hao Jinghai with Inugami, and their clash showed that Hao Jinghai’s gauntlets could withstand the Evil Blade.
• Huang Xiao realized Fan Zhongkun wanted the Minghong Saber and fled using the Lingbo Ethereal Steps.
• Fan Zhongkun kept Hao Jinghai occupied, while Hao Jinghai abandoned his pursuit of Huang Xiao to stop Fan Zhongkun from escaping with Inugami.
• After running for two hours, Huang Xiao reached a river where Jianghu fighters had gathered and washed in the water.
• A woman in a pink dress galloped toward the riverside on a blood-red steed, drawing cries of surprise from the crowd.

Huang Xiao watched a cold, beautiful woman arrive on an exhausted horse and kill Chen Lecher and his companions with her horsewhip. She asked for directions to Qinyang City, leaving the onlookers stunned by her astonishing Sword Qi.

• Huang Xiao recognized the woman as an expert when she rode toward the crowd with a scarlet-sheathed longsword beside her saddle.
• Chen Lecher blocked the woman’s path and insulted her, so she struck him across the face with her horsewhip.
• Chen Lecher’s companions confronted the woman and demanded that she settle the injury, while she asked them which way led to Qinyang City.
• The woman declared that the men deserved to die, then killed them with rapid horsewhip thrusts through their foreheads.
• Huang Xiao saw the woman’s movements clearly and recognized the astonishing Sword Qi behind her horsewhip attacks.

Huang Xiao prepared to face Fan Zhongkun after the injured pursuer caught up, but a woman seeking Inugami attacked Fan Zhongkun first. Huang Xiao discovered that she was also a Half-Step Martial Realm expert.

• The woman killed Lecher Chen and his group, then asked Huang Xiao for directions to Qinyang City.
• Fan Zhongkun arrived, and the Jianghu fighters rushed at him before he slaughtered them and charged toward Huang Xiao.
• Huang Xiao realized Fan Zhongkun was badly injured and prepared to use the Heavenly Demon Skill against him.
• The woman attacked Fan Zhongkun and demanded that he leave Inugami behind.
• Huang Xiao sensed the woman's aura surge and recognized her as a Half-Step Martial Realm expert.

Huang Xiao and a red-clad Half-Step Martial Realm woman teamed up against the gravely injured Fan Zhongkun, who wielded Inugami. As they continued fighting, Huang Xiao recognized something in the woman’s fierce swordsmanship and began to suspect who she was.

• The red-clad woman charged Fan Zhongkun with her crimson sword, and Huang Xiao joined her after warning her about Inugami.
• Huang Xiao switched cultivation methods to surprise Fan Zhongkun, then attacked alongside the woman, who pierced Fan Zhongkun’s palm before retreating from his counterattack.
• The woman and Huang Xiao pressed their assault, but Fan Zhongkun’s power surged and he sent Huang Xiao flying, though the clash also made Fan Zhongkun spit blood.
• The woman continued fighting Fan Zhongkun in the air while Huang Xiao recovered and realized her swordsmanship was stronger than his own.
• Huang Xiao watched the woman’s swordsmanship and began to suspect her identity.

Huang Xiao joined the woman he suspected was Jiang Liuli to stop Fan Zhongkun from killing her, but Fan escaped when his surprise attack failed. The woman said she would spare Huang Xiao once because they had fought Fan together.

• Huang Xiao decided to prioritize killing the injured Fan Zhongkun, despite the woman’s strength.
• Fan Zhongkun fled, and the woman pursued him while Huang Xiao followed and called for her to stop.
• Fan Zhongkun turned back with a powerful surprise attack, wounding the woman but failing to defeat her.
• Huang Xiao attacked Fan Zhongkun, and Fan fled when he realized he could not face both of them while injured.
• Huang Xiao and the woman stopped pursuing Fan, and she told Huang Xiao she would spare him this once.

Huang Xiao was mistaken by a powerful woman for a member of the Demonic Path, and she warned him to grow stronger before their next meeting. After she left, he disguised his appearance and aura while reconsidering how the Upper Clarity Scripture might let him cultivate Demonic Arts more safely.

• The woman accused Huang Xiao of belonging to the Demonic Path and dismissed him as weaker than Pang Yi of the God-Burying Hall.
• The woman warned Huang Xiao to leave and said she would show no mercy when they met again, possibly at the Imperial Province Ranking Contest, then rode away.
• Huang Xiao wondered whether Pang Yi rivaled Sword God Yi and left as the surrounding Jianghu people watched him with awe.
• Huang Xiao considered how to avoid recognition by Jiang Liuli and used the Ten Thousand Demons Formless Art to change his appearance and conceal his aura.
• Huang Xiao reflected that the Upper Clarity Scripture might help him resist Demonic Arts' influence and allow him to cultivate them more deeply.

Huang Xiao disguised himself while traveling toward Imperial Province, but Daoxuanzi recognized him and explained his own interest in the Saber King and the contested Inugami blade. Daoxuanzi declined to pursue Inugami, and the chapter ended with Huang Xiao asking about the young woman he had encountered.

• Huang Xiao concealed his appearance and wrapped the Minghong Saber before setting out, but Daoxuanzi appeared and immediately saw through his disguise.
• Daoxuanzi told Huang Xiao that the Saber King, Wang Jiu, had attacked the Sword Pavilion to avenge his murdered master and had long sought a treasured saber.
• Daoxuanzi explained that Wang Jiu was drawn to Inugami because it could strengthen his saber techniques, while its evil nature threatened to corrupt its wielder.
• Daoxuanzi revealed that he had watched Huang Xiao fight Fan Zhongkun but had not taken Inugami because doing so could provoke the Heavenly Evil Sect and bring trouble to Shangqing Temple.
• Huang Xiao asked Daoxuanzi who the young woman he had met was, and Daoxuanzi responded with a peculiar expression.

Daoxuanzi gave Huang Xiao Phoenix Blood and instructions for safely using it, while revealing that the powerful young woman was Jiang Liuli. After Huang Xiao left to gather rare ingredients in Chaotic Province, Daoxuanzi noticed a strange scarlet blaze over Mist Mountain and rushed toward it.

• Daoxuanzi handed Huang Xiao Phoenix Blood taken from Yang Hengchang and warned that he needed rare medicinal ingredients to neutralize its violent aura before taking it.
• Daoxuanzi explained that the blood came from a Phoenix at least a thousand years old and told Huang Xiao to obtain the ingredients through the Rare Treasures Pavilion using his VIP Token.
• Huang Xiao resolved to stay in Chaotic Province and gather the ingredients’ equivalent value by killing and plundering members of the Demonic Sects.
• Daoxuanzi revealed that the young woman was Jiang Liuli and warned Huang Xiao to avoid her and the Sword Pavilion for now.
• After Huang Xiao departed, Daoxuanzi wondered how he had acquired several Demon Hall cultivation methods and decided to watch him more closely.
• Daoxuanzi spotted a scarlet blaze across the sky above Mist Mountain and rushed toward it.

Huang Xiao was forced by the Heavenly Evil Sect to join a crowd being herded toward Mist Mountain after a crimson blaze signaled the Phoenix’s appearance. In Qinyang City, Jiang Liuli reached Yang Hengchang, who recognized the sign and prepared to go to the mountain before the Heavenly Evil Sect claimed the Phoenix.

• Huang Xiao saw the crimson sky over Mist Mountain, suspected the Phoenix had appeared, and followed people away from the mountain to avoid the arriving experts.
• A Hunchbacked Old Man of the Heavenly Evil Sect blocked the road and ordered the crowd toward Mist Mountain, injuring several people with his Sound Art.
• Huang Xiao concealed his half-step Martial Realm cultivation and went with the crowd, realizing the Heavenly Evil Sect was driving them toward the Phoenix for its own purposes.
• Jiang Liuli arrived outside Qinyang City, saw the crimson sky, and hurried to meet Yang Hengchang.
• Feng Xiaofeng showed Yang Hengchang the glow, and Yang Hengchang concluded that the Phoenix had appeared and set out for Mist Mountain.
• Yang Hengchang encountered Jiang Liuli as he left, and his expression turned to delighted surprise.

Jiang Liuli arrived at Yang Hengchang’s residence and learned that the Transcendent Immortal Sword Lord’s successor was Huang Xiao, the man who had helped her fight Fan Zhongkun. After confirming his identity from Feng Xiaofeng’s description of his saber, she left confident she could defeat him.

• Jiang Liuli reached Yang Hengchang and urged him to wait for Granduncle Geng and the other Sword Pavilion reinforcements before heading to Mist Mountain.
• Jiang Liuli told Yang Hengchang she had encountered the gravely wounded Fan Zhongkun and nearly fallen into his trap.
• Jiang Liuli asked Yang Hengchang and Feng Xiaofeng to describe the Transcendent Immortal Sword Lord’s successor, and recognized the description as matching the man who had fought alongside her.
• Feng Xiaofeng revealed that Huang Xiao carried an imitation of the Demon Hall’s Supreme Demon Saber, and Jiang Liuli drew her Red Precious Sword and held it to his neck for omitting that detail.
• Jiang Liuli confirmed that Huang Xiao was the successor, mocked Feng Xiaofeng, and went to rest.