Chapter Summaries

Cheng Duanjin and Lang Tao signed up for a fight to the death in the Main Arena, and Huang Xiao advised Cheng Duanjin to avoid revealing his connection to Senior Saber King. Cheng Duanjin entered the arena and charged at Lang Tao, beginning their fight.

• Luo Ji provoked Lang Tao, who then applied with Cheng Duanjin for a fight to the death in the Main Arena.
• Cheng Duanjin and Lang Tao signed the rules and left their handprints before waiting for their turn.
• After the other matches ended, Lang Tao entered the arena, and Huang Xiao warned Cheng Duanjin not to use Senior Saber King's saber techniques.
• Huang Xiao told Cheng Duanjin to hold out and leave the platform if necessary, while Wang Lin worried about him.
• Cheng Duanjin drew his great chopping saber and charged at Lang Tao.

Cheng Duanjin fought Lang Tao on the Main Arena, revealing formidable strength and surviving Lang Tao’s furious saber attack with only superficial wounds. Lang Tao charged him again, and their fierce clash continued as Wang Lin watched closely.

• Cheng Duanjin’s enormous chopping saber clashed with Lang Tao’s Water-Cutting Saber, and Lang Tao suffered a slight injury from the blow.
• Lang Tao attacked Cheng Duanjin with killing intent, while Cheng Duanjin decided to hold back the saber technique Uncle Wang had taught him and eventually concede.
• Lang Tao used his speed to surround Cheng Duanjin with afterimages and blasted a crater into the platform, but Cheng Duanjin blocked the attack and suffered only superficial wounds.
• Lang Tao charged again, and Cheng Duanjin met him in a rapid exchange of saber blows that sent nearby spectators retreating.
• Wang Lin watched the fight and suspected Cheng Duanjin had been hiding his true strength.

Cheng Duanjin struggled against Lang Tao, the third-ranked expert on the Tiger Rankings, while concealing his identity and refusing to use the Saber King’s techniques. He bluffed about unleashing hidden strength, then feigned an attack and ran for the edge of the arena to escape.

• Cheng Duanjin tried to leave the arena, but Lang Tao attacked and forced him back into the fight.
• Cheng Duanjin fought desperately as Lang Tao’s relentless saber attacks drove him to the brink of defeat.
• Cheng Duanjin pretended to raise his internal power, convincing Lang Tao and the onlookers that he had been hiding his strength.
• Cheng Duanjin drew his saber and feigned a charge, then turned and dashed toward the arena’s edge, enraging Lang Tao.

Cheng Duanjin tricked Lang Tao into thinking he was fleeing the platform, then changed his mind and returned to fight him. After regulating his breathing, Cheng Duanjin launched an attack that revealed a terrifying change in his saber aura.

• Cheng Duanjin reached the platform's edge but stopped, making clear to Lang Tao that he had no intention of leaving.
• Huang Xiao wondered why Cheng Duanjin stayed, while Wang Lin voiced her frustration and Huang Xiao said Cheng Duanjin knew his limits.
• Cheng Duanjin told Lang Tao that he had changed his mind and now intended to kill him, then walked back to the center of the platform.
• Cheng Duanjin circulated his internal power and warned Lang Tao to use his full strength before pointing his saber at him.
• Cheng Duanjin suddenly appeared before Lang Tao, whose pupils contracted as he sensed the terrifying aura of Cheng Duanjin's saber technique.

Cheng Duanjin overwhelmed Lang Tao in their arena fight, forcing Lang Tao to call for his master. Huang Xiao intercepted the arriving master, but Alliance Guards intervened and warned them against fighting during the Ranking Contest.

• Cheng Duanjin's saber technique broke through Lang Tao's defenses and drove him back, leaving Lang Tao unable to understand the sudden reversal.
• Lang Tao tried to flee the arena, but Cheng Duanjin caught him, struck him down, and blocked his attempt to escape using the recoil.
• With Cheng Duanjin approaching, Lang Tao shouted, "Master, save me!" Huang Xiao told Wang Lin to stay put and rushed toward the arena.
• Demon Phoenix moved from Huang Xiao's shoulder to Wang Lin's, blocking her attempts to stroke it.
• Huang Xiao met Lang Tao's arriving master in midair, and their clash sent the spectators below scattering.
• Three Alliance Guards rose between them and warned Huang Xiao and the newcomer that unauthorized fighting was forbidden during the Ranking Contest.

Huang Xiao helped Cheng Duanjin finish his death match against Lang Tao, whose master Qi Yi rescued him at the cost of his right arm. Qi Yi then challenged Huang Xiao to a fight to the death, and Huang Xiao left the crowd waiting by asking what would happen if he refused.

• Huang Xiao blocked Qi Yi long enough for Cheng Duanjin to badly wound Lang Tao in their fight to the death.
• Cheng Duanjin brought his saber down, but Qi Yi rescued Lang Tao and sealed his acupoints after the strike severed Lang Tao's right arm.
• Cheng Duanjin told Qi Yi he had spared Lang Tao's life, then promised Huang Xiao he would train harder and kill Lang Tao next time.
• Qi Yi mistook Huang Xiao's earlier disguise for his true appearance and challenged him to a fight to the death.
• Huang Xiao asked what Qi Yi would do if he refused, as the crowd waited for his answer.

Huang Xiao left the fighting platform rather than immediately challenge Qi Yi, but then applied for a deathmatch against the Dragon Rankings expert. The chapter ended with the official needing to ask whether Qi Yi accepted.

• Qi Yi admitted that someone had asked him to teach Huang Xiao a lesson and revealed that he wanted to test Huang Xiao’s strength and take his life.
• Huang Xiao suspected that people from the Heavenly Sword Sect or the Divine Saber Sect had arranged the attack because of his past conflict with them.
• Cheng Duanjin and Wang Lin urged Huang Xiao to leave the platform, and Huang Xiao went down with Cheng Duanjin while Qi Yi watched angrily.
• As Qi Yi prepared to leave with Lang Tao, Huang Xiao stopped him and told Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin to wait.
• Huang Xiao applied for a deathmatch against Qi Yi, ranked twenty-fifth on the Dragon Rankings, and told the official to ask whether Qi Yi agreed.

Huang Xiao agreed to Qi Yi’s Deathmatch and signed the agreement, then faced him in the Main Arena before a crowd of powerful onlookers. The chapter ended with Qi Yi drawing his saber and Huang Xiao challenging him to attack without drawing his own.

• Qi Yi signed the Deathmatch agreement, and Huang Xiao signed and pressed his handprint despite Wang Lin’s warning.
• Qi Yi leaped onto the Main Arena, and Huang Xiao followed after reassuring Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin.
• Huang Xiao spotted Min Yi and Lin Kuien among the onlookers, along with Zhangsun Youyue, Li Chaoxun, Chao Jue, and other experts.
• Qi Yi taunted Huang Xiao about dying before the crowd, but Huang Xiao said he would let Qi Yi have that honor.
• Qi Yi drew his saber, and Huang Xiao refused to draw his own as he beckoned Qi Yi to attack.

Huang Xiao overwhelmed Qi Yi in close combat after Qi Yi chose to leave his Redfire Saber sheathed. As Huang Xiao prepared to finish the fight, he sensed a shift in the surrounding heaven and earth momentum and neutralized it.

• Qi Yi charged Huang Xiao barehanded, confident in his strength, and Huang Xiao met him with the Heavenly Demon Subduing Tiger Fist.
• Huang Xiao outmaneuvered Qi Yi with punches, palms, kicks, and claw strikes, driving him to his knees and then kicking him across the platform.
• Qi Yi tried to draw his Redfire Saber, but Huang Xiao struck its hilt and forced it back into its sheath.
• Huang Xiao stayed close and battered Qi Yi, preventing him from drawing his saber as Qi Yi demanded a saber fight.
• Huang Xiao explained that Qi Yi had brought the defeat on himself by choosing not to use his saber, then sensed a change in the heaven and earth momentum and neutralized it.

Huang Xiao defeated Qi Yi in the deathmatch and learned that Lin Kuien of the Heavenly Sword Sect had arranged the attack. Jia Kong, the number one on the Dragon Rankings, intervened to save Qi Yi, but Huang Xiao rejected his attempt to mediate.

• Huang Xiao broke Qi Yi's right arm and demanded to know who had put him up to the attack.
• Qi Yi named Lin Kuien of the Heavenly Sword Sect and revealed that Lin Kuien's father was a Void Martial Realm elder.
• Jia Kong arrived in the arena and stood between Huang Xiao and Qi Yi, offering to discuss taking Qi Yi away.
• Huang Xiao challenged Jia Kong for failing to counsel Qi Yi when he forced Huang Xiao into the deathmatch.
• Jia Kong advised Huang Xiao to leave himself a way out, but Huang Xiao rejected his mediation.

Huang Xiao killed Qi Yi with a saber strike as Qi Yi fled the arena, revealing that he had been hiding his Demonic Path cultivation and saber technique. Jia Kong avoided intervening, and the witnesses recognized Huang Xiao’s Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques.

• Qi Yi offered Huang Xiao treasures to spare his life, but Huang Xiao refused, and Jia Kong’s threats failed to stop him.
• Qi Yi tried to escape the arena, so Huang Xiao drew the Minghong Saber and unleashed the Fourth Form of the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber.
• Jia Kong dodged instead of blocking Huang Xiao’s slash, and the Saber Force struck Qi Yi as he crossed beyond the arena’s edge.
• The Jianghu witnesses found Qi Yi dead and realized Huang Xiao had concealed his strength and used a Demonic Path technique.
• Several experts identified Huang Xiao’s saber technique as the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques.

Huang Xiao drew the Heavenly Demon Hall’s attention after defeating Qi Yi, but avoided fighting Jia Kong so he would not have to reveal his full strength. Chao Jue arrived and accused Huang Xiao of stealing the Hall’s cultivation methods, leaving the crowd unsure of Huang Xiao’s identity.

• Huang Xiao revealed the Heavenly Demon Skill and Demon Saber Techniques to attract the Heavenly Demon Hall’s notice and seek a chance to obtain the skill’s final three levels.
• Jia Kong realized Huang Xiao used the Heavenly Demon Hall’s methods, regretted intervening for Qi Yi, and turned to leave rather than risk a fight.
• Huang Xiao decided he had achieved his goal and avoided challenging Jia Kong, judging that fighting him would require revealing too much of his strength.
• Chao Jue entered the arena, ignored Jia Kong, and demanded to know where Huang Xiao had obtained the Heavenly Demon Hall’s cultivation methods.
• Huang Xiao recognized Chao Jue and praised his reputation, while the crowd and Jia Kong concluded that Huang Xiao’s youthful appearance was a disguise.

Huang Xiao confronted Chao Jue and Deputy Hall Master Peng Ku after displaying the Heavenly Demon Hall’s techniques, while concealing his identity and the truth about Yao Qiu’s death. Chao Jue recognized him as the middle-aged man connected to Yao Qiu’s death, and Peng Ku questioned whether a powerful expert was backing him.

• Chao Jue threatened Huang Xiao with the Heavenly Demon Hall’s retaliation after the Ranking Contest, but Huang Xiao taunted him for lacking the strength to challenge him.
• Huang Xiao offered Chao Jue a deathmatch, and Chao Jue drew his imitation Supreme Demon Saber before Peng Ku stopped him.
• Peng Ku introduced himself as a Deputy Hall Master of the Heavenly Demon Hall and demanded that Huang Xiao confess, but Huang Xiao remained calm and denied belonging to the Hall.
• Chao Jue recognized Huang Xiao as the altered middle-aged man connected to Yao Qiu’s death, and Peng Ku speculated that a void martial realm or martial realm expert was supporting him.
• Peng Ku claimed the Heavenly Demon Hall could crush any expert backing Huang Xiao, while Huang Xiao remained silent.

Huang Xiao left the arena after defeating the Heavenly Demon Hall’s challenge, then returned to the inn with Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin. Zhangsun Youyue visited him and revealed that she had recognized his true identity, leaving them to speak openly about their past misunderstanding.

• Huang Xiao refused Chao Jue’s demand to stop, and Peng Ku led Chao Jue away from the arena.
• Jia Kong decided that Huang Xiao still owed him compensation for the losses and humiliation he had suffered.
• At the inn, Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin questioned Huang Xiao about his age and extraordinary strength, and he attributed it to fortuitous encounters.
• Zhangsun Youyue arrived at the inn, and Wang Lin pulled Cheng Duanjin away to leave her alone with Huang Xiao.
• Zhangsun Youyue told Huang Xiao there was no need to keep pretending, and he acknowledged that he was not the Transcendent Immortal Sword Lord’s successor.
• Zhangsun Youyue recalled that Huang Xiao had truthfully told her he was not skilled in swordsmanship, though she had mistaken his words for modesty.

Huang Xiao spoke with Zhangsun Youyue about his demonic techniques and the danger of attracting the Heavenly Demon Hall, while she offered to help him escape after the Ranking Contest. They discussed his chances against Li Chaoxun and the other contenders, and Zhangsun Youyue began to suspect Huang Xiao wanted to face Pang Yi because of his demonic art.

• Huang Xiao told Zhangsun Youyue that he was not from the Demon Hall, and she warned that his use of the Heavenly Demon Skill and Heavenly Demon Demon Saber could draw the Heavenly Demon Hall’s attention.
• Zhangsun Youyue offered to use Bishui Palace’s power to help Huang Xiao escape the Imperial City and Imperial Province after the Ranking Contest.
• Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin secretly peeked at Huang Xiao and Zhangsun Youyue, but Zhangsun Youyue noticed them and closed the door.
• Huang Xiao told Zhangsun Youyue that he had fought Li Chaoxun before and believed he could protect himself if they met in the Ranking Contest.
• Zhangsun Youyue learned that Huang Xiao had sought Phoenix Blood while injured, and Huang Xiao said he wanted to test himself against Pang Yi.
• Zhangsun Youyue asked whether Huang Xiao’s interest in Pang Yi had something to do with the demonic art he practiced.

Zhangsun Youyue shared detailed Ranking Contest intelligence with Huang Xiao, while Wang Lin confronted Cheng Duanjin about using her father’s saber technique and learned that her father had ordered him to fight. The chapter ended when Li Chaoxun arrived to summon Zhangsun Youyue back at once on Uncle-Master Pei’s orders.

• Zhangsun Youyue asked Huang Xiao about his Heavenly Demon Skill, and he said he could not yet reveal how he had obtained it.
• Zhangsun Youyue offered Huang Xiao detailed assessments of past Ranking Contests and this year’s participants.
• Wang Lin demanded to know why Cheng Duanjin had used her father’s saber technique, and he explained that Wang Lin’s father had instructed him by voice transmission to fight with all his strength.
• Wang Lin lamented that her father had come to the Imperial City without seeing her and worried that his pursuit of revenge against the Sword Pavilion put him in danger.
• Huang Xiao and Zhangsun Youyue left their room, where Li Chaoxun told Zhangsun Youyue that Uncle-Master Pei wanted her to return at once.

Huang Xiao faced Li Chaoxun’s threat after Zhangsun Youyue left, then warned Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin to stay safe while Senior Saber King dealt with the Sword Pavilion. Meanwhile, Chao Jue and Peng Ku realized they had mistaken the identity of the man who knew the Heavenly Demon Skill, until Elder Yue arrived and rebuked them.

• Zhangsun Youyue left after Li Chaoxun denied following her, and Li Chaoxun warned Huang Xiao that he would settle their score at the Ranking Contest.
• Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin came out, and Huang Xiao identified Li Chaoxun as the Transcendent Immortal Sword Lord’s successor.
• Cheng Duanjin told Huang Xiao about Senior Saber King, and Huang Xiao cautioned Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin to protect themselves from people seeking Tiger Wing.
• Wang Lin recognized Zhangsun Youyue as a Bishui Palace disciple, and Huang Xiao told her and Cheng Duanjin to prepare for the Ranking Contest.
• Chao Jue questioned Peng Ku about the man who knew the Heavenly Demon Skill, and Peng Ku concluded he was the same brat previously reported at Mist Mountain.
• Elder Yue entered, scolded Chao Jue and Peng Ku for their mistaken assumption, and took the seat of honor.

Yue Cheng questioned Chao Jue and Peng Ku about Huang Xiao’s strength and whether he knew the Demon Refining Formula. He revealed that the Hall Master had sent two Regent Elders to assist with the investigation, while Peng Ku was tasked with protecting Chao Jue in the Imperial City.

• Yue Cheng asked Peng Ku and Chao Jue to explain what had happened with Huang Xiao, then questioned how advanced Huang Xiao’s Heavenly Demon Skill and Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques were.
• Peng Ku judged that Huang Xiao’s true qi might not have been refined and suggested he might not know the Demon Refining Formula, raising doubts about whether someone from the Heavenly Demon Hall had leaked the cultivation methods.
• Yue Cheng said the Hall Master had ordered a thorough investigation and that he and Yin Huju would serve as assistants to an important figure expected to arrive in the Imperial City.
• Yue Cheng told Peng Ku to remain by Chao Jue and protect him, warning that they should stay cautious of the Sword Pavilion despite Peng Ku’s confidence about the coming Thousand-Year Period.

Yue Cheng left Chao Jue to decide for himself how to handle Huang Xiao during the Ranking Contest, while Chao Jue struggled with his fading chances against Pang Yi. Yin Huju arrived in the Imperial City and discussed his investigation of Huang Xiao with Yue Cheng, who revealed that Huang Xiao had killed a Dragon Rankings fighter.

• Yue Cheng told Chao Jue to prove his potential to the Hall Master and said he must decide for himself what to do if he encountered Huang Xiao.
• Peng Ku advised Chao Jue to act according to circumstances, and Chao Jue resolved to make a strong showing in the Ranking Contest to preserve his standing.
• After Chao Jue and Peng Ku left, Yin Huju arrived and Yue Cheng congratulated him on his apparent improvement in strength.
• Yue Cheng told Yin Huju that Huang Xiao had killed Qi Yi, the twenty-fifth-ranked Dragon Rankings fighter, in a Deathmatch.
• Yin Huju expressed interest in meeting Huang Xiao and Yue Cheng asked what he had learned during his visit to Mist Mountain.

Yue Cheng and Yin Huju discussed Huang Xiao’s mysterious background and the God-Burying Hall’s bid to reclaim the Hall Master’s Seat by reforging the Supreme Demon Saber. They revealed that the Elders’ Council had become involved after the God-Burying Hall brought the matter before them, angering the Hall Master.

• Yin Huju explained that the hall had found no information about Huang Xiao before his appearance on Mist Mountain over half a year ago.
• Yue Cheng and Yin Huju discussed the God-Burying Hall’s efforts to reforge the Supreme Demon Saber and secure the Hall Master’s Seat for Pang Yi.
• Yue Cheng asked why Demon Hall Masters repeatedly retired into seclusion, and Yin Huju said they were not yet qualified to learn the truth.
• Yin Huju revealed that the Hidden Demon Guard had failed to uncover Huang Xiao’s background despite the Elders’ Council’s involvement.
• Yin Huju said the God-Burying Hall had taken the matter to the Elders’ Council, forcing the Hall Master to accept its intervention and leaving him furious.