Chapter Summaries

Huang Xiao used Tiger Wing and the Heavenly Demon Skill to battle Hao Jinghai, who recognized the Heavenly Demon Hall’s supreme arts and decided to capture him. When five more Void Martial Realm experts joined the fight, Huang Xiao let Tiger Wing’s evil qi flood his body to increase his strength, risking his sanity as they attacked.

• Huang Xiao fought Hao Jinghai with Tiger Wing and the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber, matching his punches and evading his attempts to seize him.
• Hao Jinghai recognized Huang Xiao’s Heavenly Demon Skill and saber techniques, wondered how he had learned them, and decided to capture him for answers.
• Five Void Martial Realm experts arrived to help Hao Jinghai, while the surrounding fighters battled over Inugami and Fan Zhongkun.
• Seeing that he could not face so many experts at his current strength, Huang Xiao opened himself to Tiger Wing’s evil qi and began losing clarity as his power rose.
• The experts noticed Huang Xiao drawing on Tiger Wing and attacked him before he could grow stronger.

Huang Xiao used Tiger Wing’s evil qi to raise his strength and command Heaven and Earth Momentum, letting him hold off six Void Martial Realm experts fighting to seize the saber. After six more experts joined the battle, Huang Xiao lost control of the momentum as a scorching aura surged toward him.

• Huang Xiao used Tiger Wing to weaken the evil qi’s suppression and command Heaven and Earth Momentum while Hao Jinghai and five other experts charged at him.
• Huang Xiao attacked a Heavenly Evil Sect expert, revealing his Heavenly Demon Hall techniques and forcing the man back.
• Huang Xiao pursued Hao Jinghai and landed a powerful strike, but Hao Jinghai deflected Tiger Wing’s saber force and retreated with an injured fist.
• Huang Xiao held off the six experts, damaging their weapons, while Hao Jinghai and the others struggled to approach him.
• Six more experts joined the fight, and Huang Xiao, already injured and drained, suddenly lost control of Heaven and Earth Momentum as a scorching aura struck him.

The Phoenix unleashed Phoenix Rebirth and fought Han Chengsang, Geng Jin, and Wu Rusong, while the battle in the Secluded Valley resumed. Huang Xiao was overwhelmed by twelve experts and, badly injured, reached his limit against the rock wall.

• The Phoenix ignited in scarlet flames and transformed into a huge flaming bird as Han Chengsang ordered an attack.
• The reborn Phoenix drove Han Chengsang, Geng Jin, and Wu Rusong back with sweeping wings and flames.
• Linghu Xiang, Hao Jinghai, and the others resumed attacking the Evil Blades, while twelve experts joined forces against Huang Xiao.
• Huang Xiao was struck by Sword Qi and suffered serious internal injuries as the Phoenix’s flames dispersed the Evil Qi in the valley.
• A God-Burying Hall expert demanded Tiger Wing, but Huang Xiao mocked his opponents and refused to surrender.
• A Heavenly Evil Sect expert knocked Huang Xiao into a rock wall, where he slumped against Tiger Wing as the surrounding experts saw he could barely resist.

Huang Xiao was overwhelmed by Tiger Wing’s evil qi but regained control with the Minghong Saber and killed Elder Li, though he was badly wounded. As Fan Zhongkun approached while succumbing to Inugami, three Heavenly Evil Sect Martial Realm experts arrived and shifted the balance of power against Geng Jin and Wu Rusong.

• Huang Xiao reached for the Phoenix Blood, but Tiger Wing possessed him and drove him to attack the surrounding experts.
• The Minghong Saber suppressed Tiger Wing’s evil qi, allowing Huang Xiao to recover his senses and kill Elder Li, though Elder Li’s sword pierced Huang Xiao’s waist.
• Huang Xiao realized the Minghong Saber had saved him from possession, while Fan Zhongkun charged over, nearing possession by Inugami and seeking the saber’s aid.
• Linghu Xiang and the others pursuing Fan Zhongkun approached, prompting Huang Xiao and Hao Jinghai to reassess the fight for Tiger Wing.
• Three Heavenly Evil Sect Martial Realm experts arrived and claimed the Phoenix and Evil Blades, leaving Geng Jin and Wu Rusong outnumbered.

Daoxuanzi and Wang Jiu arrived as Han Chengsang moved to seize Huang Xiao and Fan Zhongkun, shifting the battle over the Phoenix and the Evil Blades. The fighting resumed, the Phoenix was cornered, and Daoxuanzi discovered that the evil qi had completely dispersed while Huang Xiao still held Tiger Wing.

• Wang Jiu struck at Han Chengsang with saber qi, then arrived in the valley alongside Daoxuanzi and halted Han Chengsang’s advance on Huang Xiao and Fan Zhongkun.
• Daoxuanzi said he would protect Huang Xiao, while Wang Jiu declared that he wanted one Evil Blade; Han Chengsang refused to surrender the treasures.
• The Heavenly Evil Sect’s four experts charged the opposing group of Daoxuanzi, Wang Jiu, Geng Jin, and Wu Rusong, reigniting the battle.
• The Phoenix tried to flee, but two Heavenly Evil Sect experts, Geng Jin, and Wu Rusong surrounded and attacked it.
• Daoxuanzi noticed that all the evil qi had dispersed and shouted at Huang Xiao to throw away Tiger Wing, but Han Chengsang continued blocking his path.

With the evil qi gone, Huang Xiao and Fan Zhongkun joined forces against the Void Martial Realm experts, who overwhelmed them with their command of heaven and earth momentum. As the pair neared defeat, Huang Xiao drank the Phoenix Blood, and his body began convulsing from its power.

• Fan Zhongkun approached Huang Xiao, and the Minghong Saber’s aura suppressed Inugami’s evil qi, restoring Fan Zhongkun’s clarity.
• Huang Xiao and Fan Zhongkun agreed to fight together, but the Void Martial Realm experts seized control of heaven and earth momentum and attacked them.
• Huang Xiao and Fan Zhongkun struggled to hold off their attackers while conserving their strength, and both suffered under the pressure.
• Yang Hengchang recognized the vial Huang Xiao held as the stolen Phoenix Blood, prompting mockery from Hao Jinghai and Linghu Xiang.
• Huang Xiao drank the Phoenix Blood despite Daoxuanzi’s warning, then convulsed as his aura became chaotic.

Huang Xiao took Phoenix Blood to try to dissolve the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse, but the Masked Old Man’s protective internal power blocked it and left the Phoenix Blood’s energy raging through him. He used its power and rapid healing to fight off the experts pursuing Tiger Wing, killing a Heavenly Evil Sect expert and startling the others.

• Fan Zhongkun held back the Void Martial Realm experts while Huang Xiao endured the Phoenix Blood’s immense energy, which healed his injuries but could not reach the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse.
• Huang Xiao realized the Masked Old Man’s internal power was blocking the Phoenix Blood, then collapsed under the strain as a Heavenly Evil Sect expert rushed to seize Tiger Wing.
• Huang Xiao sprang up and struck the Heavenly Evil Sect expert, releasing the Phoenix Blood’s scorching power and forcing him back.
• Huang Xiao fought a God-Burying Hall expert, and their sabers cut deep wounds into each other’s chests.
• The Heavenly Evil Sect expert thrust his sword through Huang Xiao’s chest, but Huang Xiao’s healing kept him fighting; Huang Xiao held the blade and killed him with a saber strike.

Huang Xiao fought off the Void Martial Realm experts while the Phoenix Blood threatened to destroy his meridians, and the Phoenix was badly wounded in its battle with Geng Jin and the others. Huang Xiao fed the Phoenix Beast Immortal Grass in the hope it could save them both, and the Phoenix began to rise with pale blue flames around its scarlet fire.

• Huang Xiao pulled the Precious Sword from his chest as his wounds healed, then attacked the wounded God-Burying Hall expert and traded injuries with the other fighters.
• The Void Martial Realm experts retreated from Huang Xiao, while the Phoenix Blood's aura continued to damage his meridians and turn his eyes scarlet.
• Daoxuanzi attacked Han Chengsang, while the Phoenix's strength waned under the attacks of Geng Jin and the other three Martial Realm experts.
• The Phoenix was blasted toward Huang Xiao and fell beside him, gravely injured; Huang Xiao gave it the Beast Immortal Grass from Chen Jiao's wooden box.
• Geng Jin, Wu Rusong, and the other two charged the Phoenix, but an immense aura knocked them back as the Phoenix rose with pale blue flames flickering around its scarlet fire.

The Phoenix used the Beast Immortal Grass’s power to unleash pale blue flames and tried to help Huang Xiao resolve the three conflicting auras within him. As the Phoenix fought the Heavenly Evil Sect experts, Wu Rusong seized his chance to claim the Evil Blades and attacked Huang Xiao when he resisted.

• The Phoenix told Huang Xiao it could not calm the Phoenix Blood aura but offered a dangerous method, and Huang Xiao agreed without hesitation.
• The Phoenix sent pale blue aura into Huang Xiao, intensifying his pain and driving the Phoenix Blood aura toward the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse, but the Masked Old Man’s internal power blocked it.
• The Phoenix attacked the two Heavenly Evil Sect experts and enclosed them in its fiery wings with Phoenix Rebirth.
• Geng Jin and Wu Rusong moved to attack the Phoenix, but Wu Rusong diverted toward Huang Xiao and Fan Zhongkun to take the Evil Blades.
• Wu Rusong reached the Tiger Wing, but Huang Xiao put his hand on the saber to stop him, so Wu Rusong struck at Huang Xiao with Palm Force.

After Wu Rusong’s palm strike triggered the Masked Old Man’s dormant power, Huang Xiao’s Phoenix Blood aura dispelled the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse. The unleashed power let Huang Xiao repel Wu Rusong and protect Tiger Wing, while Wu Rusong began suspecting the boy was connected to the Heavenly Demon Hall.

• Wu Rusong struck Huang Xiao down and sent palm force ravaging his meridians as Daoxuanzi and the others rushed toward him.
• The Masked Old Man’s dormant internal power erupted inside Huang Xiao, and the Phoenix Blood aura used the surge to dissolve the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse.
• Wu Rusong tried to take Tiger Wing, but Huang Xiao sprang up and attacked him with a powerful burst of Heavenly Demon True Qi.
• Huang Xiao met Wu Rusong’s palm head-on and forced the Martial Realm expert back, astonishing the witnesses.
• Wu Rusong concluded that Huang Xiao’s power likely came from a Heavenly Demon Hall expert and wondered whether the boy was one of its hidden trump cards.

Huang Xiao’s unstable state drew the others into a struggle over Phoenix and the Evil Blades. As Wang Jiu rushed for Huang Xiao, Daoxuanzi called on him to give Tiger Wing to the Saber King, and Huang Xiao’s awareness briefly cleared.

• Wu Rusong decided Huang Xiao might be a Heavenly Demon Hall asset and held back from killing him openly, while Huang Xiao appeared close to losing awareness.
• Han Chengsang proposed that the group unite against Phoenix, but Geng Jin and the others refused to help the trapped Heavenly Evil Sect experts.
• Daoxuanzi charged Wu Rusong to reach Huang Xiao, prompting Geng Jin and Han Chengsang to attack him while Wang Jiu negotiated with the Heavenly Evil Sect for an Evil Blade.
• Wang Jiu and a Heavenly Evil Sect expert attacked Phoenix, but Wang Jiu betrayed his ally and redirected his attack toward Huang Xiao.
• Wu Rusong and the others rushed toward Fan Zhongkun as Daoxuanzi pursued Huang Xiao; Huang Xiao struck Wang Jiu, and Daoxuanzi urged him to give Tiger Wing to the Saber King.

Wang Jiu used Tiger Wing to block Wu Rusong, Han Chengsang, and Geng Jin while Fan Zhongkun refused to surrender Inugami. Daoxuanzi failed to control the Heavenly Demon True Qi inside Huang Xiao, and as Huang Xiao struggled to survive, the Phoenix trapped three Heavenly Evil Sect experts and began to unleash Nirvana Flame.

• Huang Xiao handed Tiger Wing to Wang Jiu, who used it to stop Wu Rusong, Han Chengsang, and Geng Jin from reaching Fan Zhongkun.
• Fan Zhongkun refused Han Chengsang's demand for Inugami and taunted the Martial Realm experts to kneel and beg for it.
• Daoxuanzi tried to suppress the auras inside Huang Xiao, but the Heavenly Demon True Qi invaded his meridians and injured him.
• Huang Xiao attempted to absorb the Heavenly Demon True Qi with the Northern Darkness Absorption Method, but it overwhelmed his dantian and sent his own true qi into chaos.
• The Phoenix trapped the three Heavenly Evil Sect experts who attacked it and began transforming its flames into Nirvana Flame.

The Phoenix underwent Nirvana, killing one of three Heavenly Evil Sect experts and gravely wounding the other two, while its power stirred the Phoenix Blood within Huang Xiao. Huang Xiao began a perilous third Rejuvenation to rebuild his shattered meridians, but the uncontrollable Heavenly Demon True Qi inside him threatened to erupt.

• The Phoenix's pale blue flames intensified as it trapped three Heavenly Evil Sect experts, and Wu Rusong decided to target the Phoenix after its Nirvana rather than pursue Inugami.
• The Phoenix burst free of its flames, killing one expert and severely injuring the other two, while the Martial Realm experts watched in fear.
• Huang Xiao sensed his Phoenix Blood responding to the Phoenix's Nirvana and hoped it could help him undergo another Rejuvenation and survive the Heavenly Demon True Qi.
• Huang Xiao's meridians shattered, and the Martial Realm experts ordered everyone else to withdraw from the valley.
• Huang Xiao used the Phoenix Blood aura to begin reforging his meridians, but the Heavenly Demon True Qi remained inside him and began to grow unstable.

Huang Xiao failed to undergo Rejuvenation as his meridians ruptured, while the Phoenix’s attempted nirvana also failed. Wu Rusong rushed to seize the weakened Phoenix, but it vanished from his grasp and appeared in the hand of a masked man.

• Huang Xiao realized heavenly demon true qi had thwarted his Rejuvenation, while Daoxuanzi sensed that Huang Xiao remained alive despite his ruptured meridians.
• The Phoenix’s deep-blue flames flared and then faded as it fell, revealing that its nirvana had failed.
• Wu Rusong charged toward the falling Phoenix, while Geng Jin and Han Chengsang stayed behind to hold Wang Jiu away from Fan Zhongkun’s Inugami.
• Two injured Heavenly Evil Sect experts tried to stop Wu Rusong, but he knocked them back and continued toward the Phoenix.
• Wu Rusong reached to catch the Phoenix, but it disappeared from his hand and reappeared in the grasp of a masked man nearby.

A masked old man appeared, rescued Phoenix, and drove the other factions away from Huang Xiao and the two men holding Evil Blades. He examined Huang Xiao and removed the Heavenly Demon True Qi he had left inside him, allowing Phoenix Blood to begin reforging Huang Xiao’s meridians.

• The masked old man took Phoenix from Wu Rusong’s grasp and concealed it, then went to examine the gravely wounded Huang Xiao.
• The masked old man ordered everyone except Wang Jiu and Fan Zhongkun to leave, and wounded Han Chengsang with a finger-force when he objected.
• Geng Jin, Wu Rusong, and Han Chengsang led their people out of the valley after recognizing the masked man’s overwhelming strength.
• Daoxuanzi asked the masked old man to save Huang Xiao, then left after concluding that the old man might be able to help.
• The masked old man examined Huang Xiao, dispersed the Heavenly Demon True Qi he had left in him, and watched Phoenix Blood begin to reforge Huang Xiao’s meridians.

Huang Xiao completed his third Rejuvenation of the Second Realm with help from the masked old man’s Heavenly Demon True Qi, but emerged in a child’s body with almost no internal power. After learning about Huang Xiao’s cultivation method and its two-month recovery period, the masked old man called Fan Zhongkun and Wang Jiu over.

• Huang Xiao found that the Phoenix Blood aura and his own true qi could not finish reforging his meridians, so the masked old man supplied Heavenly Demon True Qi and let Huang Xiao guide it.
• Huang Xiao completed Rejuvenation, shrinking to the size of a five- or six-year-old and losing nearly all his power for a recovery period of about two months.
• Huang Xiao recognized the masked old man, greeted him, and explained the Everlasting Spring Youth-Restoring Divine Art and its aftereffects.
• The masked old man said the cultivation method was incomplete and dangerous, but denied wanting it and regretted that its creator had died.
• The masked old man summoned Fan Zhongkun and Wang Jiu; Wang Jiu warned him that he would have to get past him to take the Evil Blades, but the old man said the sabers did not interest him.

The Masked Old Man ordered Fan Zhongkun to protect Huang Xiao while his power recovered, then brought Huang Xiao, Wang Jiu, and Fan Zhongkun to a hidden island in Mist Mountain. There, he offered to teach them saber techniques and challenged Wang Jiu’s confidence by naming the Heavenly Blade Thirteen Forms, leaving Wang Jiu stunned.

• The Masked Old Man told Fan Zhongkun to guard Huang Xiao for two months, and Wang Jiu agreed despite worrying about the enemies outside the valley.
• The Masked Old Man drove the outsiders away, and Han Chengsang, Geng Jin, Jiang Liuli, Wu Rusong, and Daoxuanzi left the area.
• Three shichen later, the Masked Old Man led Huang Xiao, Wang Jiu, and Fan Zhongkun to a secluded island protected by a formation he had created.
• The Masked Old Man offered to teach Fan Zhongkun and Wang Jiu saber techniques, and Fan Zhongkun eagerly accepted.
• Wang Jiu defended his Thunderclap Mad Blade, but the Masked Old Man called it a lesser art and asked whether he knew the Heavenly Blade Thirteen Forms.

A masked old man offered Wang Jiu the Heavenly Blade Thirteen Forms and Fan Zhongkun the Spirit Evil Saber Technique, along with the Evil Transformation Art needed to support it. After teaching them and telling them to guard Huang Xiao, he left while Huang Xiao began restoring his cultivation.

• Wang Jiu recognized the Heavenly Blade Thirteen Forms and asked whether the masked old man was the Blade Emperor, but the man denied it and offered to teach him the technique.
• The masked old man said Fan Zhongkun would learn the Spirit Evil Saber Technique and the Evil Transformation Art, which required him to disperse his current cultivation.
• Fan Zhongkun agreed to start over, and Wang Jiu accepted the Heavenly Blade Thirteen Forms while agreeing to guard Huang Xiao.
• The masked old man taught Wang Jiu and Fan Zhongkun their arts, instructed them to practice and protect Huang Xiao, then departed.
• Huang Xiao sat down to circulate his energy and restore his cultivation, while Wang Jiu wondered why the masked old man had left them without placing restrictions on them.

After recovering from the Demon-Ghost Blood Curse, Huang Xiao learned that he had not yet reached the Void Martial Realm and remained unsure how to return home. The Masked Old Man revealed that he wanted Huang Xiao to enter the Heavenly Demon Hall and become its strongest contender for the next Hall Master position.

• Over two months, Huang Xiao recovered his strength while Wang Jiu and Fan Zhongkun practiced; Fan Zhongkun reached the genuine Void Martial Realm with the Masked Old Man's help.
• Huang Xiao finished recovering, realized his strength had grown but his insight still fell short of the Void Martial Realm, and wondered how he could return home to his loved ones.
• Huang Xiao asked the Masked Old Man why he had helped him, and the Masked Old Man isolated their conversation from Wang Jiu and Fan Zhongkun.
• The Masked Old Man told Huang Xiao to learn all twelve levels of the Heavenly Demon Skill by joining the Heavenly Demon Hall as a contender for its next Hall Master.
• The Masked Old Man named Chao Jue, Lou Feishang, and Pang Yi as the leading disciples of the Three Great Halls, then told Huang Xiao he wanted him to become the strongest.

The Masked Old Man ordered Huang Xiao to obtain the complete Heavenly Demon Skill cultivation method and gave him a failing Young Phoenix egg to try to save. Huang Xiao was told to leave in a day and head for Imperial Province’s Ranking Contest, with the Phoenix having at most half a year to live.

• The Masked Old Man demanded that Huang Xiao obtain the complete Heavenly Demon Skill cultivation method, pointing to the Ranking Contest in four months as his chance to join the Heavenly Demon Hall.
• The Masked Old Man gave Huang Xiao the Young Phoenix, now a Phoenix Egg after its failed Nirvana, and said it might die within half a year; Huang Xiao agreed to keep it secret and seek a way to save it.
• The Masked Old Man told Huang Xiao that the Three-Form Demon Saber Technique surpassed all other saber arts and that Huang Xiao must live up to its reputation.
• The Masked Old Man sent Wang Jiu and Fan Zhongkun out of the formation, then instructed Huang Xiao to leave by another route one day later.
• After the Masked Old Man vanished, Huang Xiao contemplated the Phoenix Egg’s short remaining lifespan and wondered how he could save it.