Chapter Summaries

Huang Xiao used the threat of a fifth-form saber technique to make Zhong Tianlang retreat, then revealed he had only feigned the attack to break away and save the women. He charged toward Xiang Guiqing as Zhong Tianlang realized the deception and gave chase.

• Zhong Tianlang taunted Huang Xiao for staying to protect Xiang Guiqing and the other woman, while Huang Xiao searched for a chance to escape.
• Huang Xiao claimed he could add a fifth form to his Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques, and Zhong Tianlang challenged him to prove it.
• Huang Xiao unleashed the first four forms in succession, increasing the pressure on Zhong Tianlang and making him worry about his dwindling internal power.
• Huang Xiao shouted that he was using the fifth form and raised his Minghong Saber, frightening Zhong Tianlang into retreating.
• Huang Xiao used Zhong Tianlang's retreat to turn and strike toward Xiang Guiqing, then charged to save her.
• Zhong Tianlang recognized the attack as an empowered fourth form, realized Huang Xiao had tricked him, and hurried after him.

Huang Xiao rescued Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli from Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang, then fled with them while their pursuers regrouped and gave chase. After escaping for half a day, the three hid in a rocky crevice, where Huang Xiao set up a formation as the women tended to their injuries.

• Huang Xiao interrupted Xiang Guiqing’s attack, seized Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli, and escaped with them.
• Xiang Guiqing urged Zhong Tianlang not to pursue, but Zhong Tianlang insisted because Huang Xiao carried at least twenty Formation Marks.
• After their subordinates arrived, Zhong Tianlang took five men with Xiang Guiqing to pursue Huang Xiao and ordered the rest to regroup on the morning of the third day.
• Huang Xiao helped Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli recover their breathing as they fled, and refused their requests to leave them behind.
• After escaping for half a day and avoiding several near-surroundings, Huang Xiao hid with the two women in a rocky crevice and laid a formation outside.

Huang Xiao, Jiang Liuli, and Zhangsun Youyue headed back toward the Longevity Pill Manual, hoping to hide among the gathered factions and evade Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing. On the way, they ambushed a Demon and Ghost Factions group and killed its remaining four members.

• After a night spent guarding the recovering Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue, Huang Xiao decided they should return toward the Longevity Pill Manual and blend in with the other factions.
• Huang Xiao led the two women cautiously through the mountains, and they stopped when they spotted a fight between five Demon and Ghost Factions members and four wounded fighters.
• Huang Xiao, Jiang Liuli, and Zhangsun Youyue waited until the five had killed the four and were about to leave, then launched an ambush.
• Huang Xiao killed two men with his Minghong Saber, while Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue killed the other two.

Huang Xiao, Jiang Liuli, and Zhangsun Youyue used an Illusion Formation to ambush members of the Demon and Ghost Factions and collect Formation Marks. After killing two and fleeing the remaining attackers, they ran into the larger enemy force led by Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing.

• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue gave Huang Xiao two Identity Tokens, bringing his total to thirty-seven Formation Marks and letting him sense the Longevity Pill Manual roughly fifty li away.
• Huang Xiao agreed to help the two women hunt the nearby Demon and Ghost Faction groups, and he set up an Illusion Formation near the corpses to ambush them.
• Five enemies arrived at the corpses, and Huang Xiao, Jiang Liuli, and Zhangsun Youyue launched a surprise attack, killing two while three escaped.
• Huang Xiao collected the two Identity Tokens, bringing his total to thirty-nine Formation Marks, and led the others away before the survivors could return with reinforcements.
• Huang Xiao and the two women encountered the larger Demon and Ghost Faction force, as Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing arrived and pursued them.

Huang Xiao fought Zhong Tianlang while Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli struggled to hold off Xiang Guiqing. He concealed his Fifth Form and used his unusual techniques to drain Zhong Tianlang’s internal power, but the women were badly hurt, forcing him to seek an opening for a decisive strike.

• Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing caught Huang Xiao, Zhangsun Youyue, and Jiang Liuli after pursuing them, and the two groups began fighting before the pursuers’ men could arrive.
• Huang Xiao sheathed his Minghong Saber and fought Zhong Tianlang with his fists and palms, keeping the Fifth Form of his saber technique hidden as a trump card.
• Huang Xiao used Dantian as the Sea to draw in and neutralize Zhong Tianlang’s true qi, alarming Zhong Tianlang with the rapid loss of his internal power.
• After Zhong Tianlang blasted them apart, Huang Xiao quickly counterattacked, but their direct clash left him unable to gain a clear advantage.
• Huang Xiao saw that Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli were badly injured against Xiang Guiqing and resolved to find an opening to use the Fifth Form for a decisive strike.

Huang Xiao tried to get Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli away from Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing as their forces closed in, but a mysterious pursuer disrupted the reinforcements. The pursuer then revealed himself as Fan Zhongkun, leaving Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing facing a new threat.

• Zhong Tianlang dodged Huang Xiao and waited for his men to arrive while Xiang Guiqing kept Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli occupied.
• Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli urged Huang Xiao to flee, but he chose to rush to their aid.
• Zhong Tianlang blocked Huang Xiao, and both sides paused when Zhong Tianlang's men arrived in a panic, with several missing.
• One of Zhong Tianlang's men reported that an expert had ambushed them and killed five of their companions.
• Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang dismissed the lone attacker and prepared to deal with Huang Xiao and the two women.
• Fan Zhongkun called out from a nearby tree, revealing that he was the attacker.

Fan Zhongkun arrived to help Huang Xiao, Jiang Liuli, and Zhangsun Youyue, forcing Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing to retreat. Huang Xiao learned that Fan Zhongkun had also lowered his realm to enter the place, and Fan Zhongkun revealed that the great formation had suppressed Inugami too.

• Fan Zhongkun approached Huang Xiao and the two women, then challenged Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing despite their threats.
• Xiang Guiqing stopped Zhong Tianlang from attacking, and Zhong Tianlang led the Demon and Ghost Factions away.
• Huang Xiao asked whether Fan Zhongkun had come for the Longevity Pill Manual and learned that he had once been in the void martial realm.
• Huang Xiao noticed that Fan Zhongkun's internal power was not draining like Zhong Tianlang's and Xiang Guiqing's, and suspected the Masked Old Man's method was responsible.
• Fan Zhongkun explained that he had not killed the pair because the great formation had suppressed Inugami too.

Huang Xiao parted ways with Fan Zhongkun, who gave him forty-two Formation Marks and urged him to compete for the Longevity Pill Manual. After Huang Xiao revealed Fan Zhongkun’s identity and acknowledged his connection to the masked expert, Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli questioned whether Huang Xiao served the Demon Hall; he asked if they would believe him if he denied it, and both answered yes.

• Fan Zhongkun refused to join Huang Xiao and the two women, then gave Huang Xiao an Identity Token holding forty-two Formation Marks before leaving.
• Huang Xiao and the women counted his original thirty-nine marks with Fan Zhongkun’s forty-two, bringing the total to eighty-one.
• Huang Xiao told Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli that the disguised man was Fan Zhongkun, and Jiang Liuli said she had suspected it.
• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue reasoned that Fan Zhongkun and Huang Xiao were acting on behalf of the masked expert from Mist Mountain, and Huang Xiao acknowledged their conclusion.
• Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli asked whether the masked expert had taught Huang Xiao his Demonic Art and was from the Demon Hall; both said they would believe Huang Xiao if he denied it.

Huang Xiao explained that he had no ties to the Demon Hall and revealed that he had come to enter the Heavenly Demon Hall by proving his strength. Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli learned that he had reached the ninth stage of the Heavenly Demon Skill and planned to challenge Pang Yi to attract the Hall’s attention.

• Zhangsun Youyue urged Huang Xiao to leave the Masked Old Man and offered to take him to Bishui Palace, while Jiang Liuli warned that the old man would not let him go easily.
• Huang Xiao told Zhangsun Youyue that his mission was to enter the Heavenly Demon Hall and master the final three stages of the Heavenly Demon Skill.
• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue were astonished to learn Huang Xiao had reached the ninth stage, a level few had achieved.
• Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli wondered whether Huang Xiao planned to kill Chao Jue and take his place in the Heavenly Demon Hall.
• Huang Xiao said he intended to fight Pang Yi at the Ranking Contest so the Heavenly Demon Hall would recognize his strength and consider accepting him.

Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue assessed Huang Xiao’s chances against the young experts Pang Yi, Li Chaoxun, and Sword God Yi, and Huang Xiao decided to seek an opportunity at the Longevity Pill Manual instead of choosing a fight immediately. Fan Zhongkun watched them leave and planned to arrive at the final crucial moment tomorrow, confident in the strength he had gained with Inugami and the Masked Old Man’s cultivation method.

• Zhangsun Youyue warned Huang Xiao that Li Chaoxun had hidden swordsmanship and could surpass him in a fight to the death.
• Jiang Liuli described Sword God Yi as ruthless, exceptionally powerful, and favored by the Sword Pavilion’s elders and the Sword God Patriarch.
• Jiang Liuli said Pang Yi and the other top young experts could kill ordinary void martial realm experts, while Huang Xiao admitted he was not confident he could defeat Pang Yi.
• Jiang Liuli suggested Huang Xiao target Chao Jue instead, but Huang Xiao chose to leave for the Longevity Pill Manual and look for an opportunity there.
• Fan Zhongkun watched Huang Xiao’s group depart and decided to hurry to the final crucial moment tomorrow, believing Huang Xiao was safe for now.
• Fan Zhongkun reflected that his strength, Inugami, and the Masked Old Man’s cultivation method now made him powerful enough to challenge even a martial realm expert.

Fan Zhongkun considered the Masked Old Man’s influence and searched for Dragon Fang, while Wang Jiu tracked the blade to a formation deep in Dragon Mountain. Wang Jiu was attacked as he prepared to retreat, and his powerful assailant recognized the Heavenly Blade Thirteen Forms and mentioned Wan Liukong.

• Fan Zhongkun drew Inugami but found its spiritual nature suppressed by the Grand Formation, then ambushed and killed several people who approached him.
• Wang Jiu followed Tiger Wing’s growing signal deep into Dragon Mountain and found a man-made formation that seemed to conceal Dragon Fang.
• Wang Jiu judged that the formation’s maker might be nearby and decided to retreat rather than risk triggering it.
• A Palm Force burst from the formation and charged at Wang Jiu, who countered with four slashes of Tiger Wing.
• The Palm Force overwhelmed Wang Jiu, forcing him back and draining much of his internal power.
• An unseen voice identified Wang Jiu’s technique as the Heavenly Blade Thirteen Forms and asked whether he was Wan Liukong’s successor.

Wang Jiu and the Masked Old Man confronted Baili Zhen, the legendary Number One Palm Under Heaven, who had been guarding Dragon Fang. Baili Zhen recognized the Masked Old Man as a figure from the Demon Hall and agreed to let him pursue the blade, but warned that taking it would not be easy.

• Baili Zhen attacked Wang Jiu from behind a formation, but the Masked Old Man appeared and stopped the palm strike with one finger.
• The Masked Old Man revealed Baili Zhen’s hidden location and demanded Dragon Fang, while Wang Jiu recognized Baili Zhen as the Number One Palm Under Heaven.
• Baili Zhen challenged the Masked Old Man, who injured him with a glance before easing his killing intent and revealing his face.
• Baili Zhen recognized the Masked Old Man as a senior he had believed dead, and Wang Jiu inferred that he was the Demon Hall Master.
• The Masked Old Man said he wanted Dragon Fang rather than the Dragon Vein, and Baili Zhen led him toward the boulder to show him why taking the blade would be difficult.

Wang Jiu, Baili Zhen, and the Masked Old Man discovered that Dragon Fang lay at the center of a Dragon Burial Ground protected by the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. The Masked Old Man shattered the formation’s dragon phantoms and subdued Dragon Fang, but then walked away without taking it.

• Baili Zhen explained that Tiger Wing’s presence had stirred Dragon Fang, causing dragon blood and essence blood to seep into the pool.
• The three followed the creek to a constructed false dragon vein and found Dragon Fang embedded at its head.
• Tiger Wing and Dragon Fang resonated, intensifying the spring’s dragon blood until the Masked Old Man told Wang Jiu to sheath Tiger Wing.
• Baili Zhen identified the site as a Dragon Burial Ground protected by a mysterious formation, which he called the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation.
• The formation sent dragon phantoms against the Masked Old Man, but he destroyed them with his demonic might and seized Dragon Fang.
• After subduing Dragon Fang, the Masked Old Man released it and walked back empty-handed, surprising Wang Jiu and Baili Zhen.

The Masked Old Man explained why Dragon Fang must remain in the formation until its final stage, then arranged for Baili Zhen to guard it in exchange for dragon essence blood. He also revealed that the Imperial Province Ranking Contest was taking place inside the Longevity Death Formation, where young contestants might obtain the Longevity Pill Manual, though the manual alone would not yield the Longevity Pill.

• The Masked Old Man told Wang Jiu and Baili Zhen that Dragon Fang needed a few more months or years of nurturing before it could be taken at full strength.
• Baili Zhen agreed to guard Dragon Fang in exchange for answers about the Three Immortal Mountains and received a greater flow of dragon essence blood after the Masked Old Man opened a breach in the blade’s formation.
• The Masked Old Man clarified that Wang Jiu had learned the Heavenly Blade Thirteen Forms without being Wan Liukong’s successor, and said recluses such as Baili Zhen would soon return to the Jianghu.
• The Masked Old Man sent Wang Jiu to the Ranking Contest grounds and revealed that the contest was being held inside the Longevity Death Formation, which Leng Guhan’s protective Tokens had allowed contestants to enter safely.
• The Masked Old Man predicted that the strongest young contestants could obtain the Longevity Pill Manual, but explained that the manual was incomplete and obtaining it would only be the first step toward the Longevity Pill.

The Longevity Death Formation was triggered on Dragon Mountain, causing strange phenomena across distant mystic domains and making several precious swords tremble. As the Bishui Palace Palace Master, an elder from Penglai, the Sect Master, and a man in the Sword Pavilion reacted, the chapter left the cause and consequences uncertain.

• The Masked Old Man told Baili Zhen that the Longevity Pill Manual was only the first step toward the Longevity Pill, then left after the formations on Dragon Mountain responded to the Longevity Death Formation being triggered.
• Baili Zhen saw the dragon phantoms vanish and chose to gather golden essence blood from Dragon Fang rather than investigate the formation.
• The Bishui Mystic Domain churned and its formations shifted, so the Palace Master evacuated the disciples and ordered the area sealed off before going to report to the ancestor.
• An elder at Penglai observed the strange phenomena in the Penglai Mystic Domain and instructed a middle-aged man to investigate while preparing for the Demon Hall's return.
• The Sect Master found Seven-Star Dragon Abyss trembling in the Supreme Hall and suspected the response was connected to the Ranking Contest on Dragon Mountain.
• A man in the Sword Pavilion felt his sword hum and wondered whether the Longevity Death Formation had triggered a response and resonance.

Liu Yu discovered a powerful antique saber in Mute Uncle’s room and wondered what it revealed about him. In Great Song, Huang Xiao’s companions trained in the stone chamber while missing him and preparing to grow stronger.

• Liu Yu heard a clatter in Mute Uncle’s room and opened a wooden box containing an antique saber whose aura injured him when he tried to touch it.
• Liu Yu noticed that the saber’s hilt resembled Huang Xiao’s and decided to tell his father about it when he returned.
• Zhao Yunhui praised Yan Xi and Zhao Yunya’s coordinated saber practice and proposed combining it with the other four women’s technique.
• Dugu Sheng and Hong Yi discussed their progress in swordsmanship and palm techniques while Yan Xi challenged Dugu Sheng.
• You Lian'er said seven months and nine days had passed since Huang Xiao left, and Qingfeng urged the women to quiet their minds and continue studying the Upper Clarity Scripture.

The Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation activated and swallowed Dugu Sheng, Hong Yi, and the six women, leading Qingfeng to suspect they had been sent to the Martial World. Qingfeng left to follow them, while factions gathered at Dragon Mountain’s lake after a deadly attempt to reach its hidden treasure.

• Qingfeng found Ling Tianya at the pool and warned him that the four women’s frantic cultivation could cause problems.
• The Heaven-Piercing Grand Formation surged, pulled Dugu Sheng, Hong Yi, and the six women inside, and then fell silent.
• Qingfeng found the stone chamber empty and concluded that the formation might have sent them to the Martial World.
• Qingfeng told Ling Tianya he would activate the formation and follow them, then plunged back into the pool.
• At Dragon Mountain’s lake, Li Chaoxun observed the disturbance as several people who charged toward the center were incinerated by the formation’s restrictions.

Li Chaoxun prepared Bishui Palace’s forces to gather Formation Marks and pursue the Longevity Pill Manual while ordering them to watch Sword God Yi, Pang Yi, Chao Jue, and Lou Feishang. Meanwhile, Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli suspected Huang Xiao’s Minghong Saber might be the missing Supreme Demon Saber, and Jiang Liuli examined it.

• Li Chaoxun explained that people with more Formation Marks had resisted the lake’s flames longer, then ordered his forces to collect more marks and monitor rival powers.
• Li Chaoxun learned that Chao Jue and Lou Feishang were traveling with Pang Yi’s group and vowed to kill them over Zhangsun Youyue’s death.
• Huang Xiao discussed Minghong Saber’s unusual reaction to the grand formation with Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli.
• Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli reasoned that Huang Xiao’s saber could be the missing Supreme Demon Saber, which had vanished a thousand years earlier.
• Huang Xiao let Jiang Liuli examine Minghong Saber, and she carefully inspected its hilt and blade.

Jiang Liuli identified Huang Xiao’s Minghong Saber as a powerful imitation rather than the Supreme Demon Saber, and the three continued toward the Longevity Pill Manual. When they found the Imperial Court fighting the Heavenly Sword Sect, Huang Xiao decided to intervene against the sect, and Zhangsun Youyue charged into battle.

• Jiang Liuli examined the Minghong Saber and concluded that it was a powerful imitation, not the Supreme Demon Saber, though its unusual effect remained unexplained.
• Huang Xiao, Jiang Liuli, and Zhangsun Youyue continued toward the Longevity Pill Manual and discovered Liu Wu’s Imperial Court group fighting the Heavenly Sword Sect.
• Jiang Liuli said she had no loyalty to the Heavenly Sword Sect, which she regarded as an ungrateful wolf, while Zhangsun Youyue urged Huang Xiao to help Liu Wu’s outnumbered fighters.
• Huang Xiao noted that Yu Du and Jia Kong were absent and decided to attack the Heavenly Sword Sect’s disciples, partly to save the Imperial Court fighters and partly because he disliked the sect.
• After Jiang Liuli rebuked Zhangsun Youyue over her influence with the Imperial Court, Zhangsun Youyue declared that everyone in the Heavenly Sword Sect deserved to die and charged into the fight.

Huang Xiao and Zhangsun Youyue helped Liu Wu’s Imperial Court forces turn the fight against the Heavenly Sword Sect, while Jiang Liuli refused to support the sect. Jia Kong arrived after defeating Yu Du, and Huang Xiao prepared to face him again as the remaining fighters divided their opponents.

• Zhangsun Youyue charged into the Heavenly Sword Sect’s ranks, and Huang Xiao followed to protect her as the Imperial Court’s forces fought back.
• Huang Xiao and Zhangsun Youyue helped reduce the Heavenly Sword Sect’s fighters to eight, while Liu Wu’s side was left with three men.
• The Heavenly Sword Sect members called to Jiang Liuli for help, but she stopped at a distance and refused to interfere.
• Jia Kong arrived with the badly injured Yu Du, and Liu Wu went to support him.
• Jia Kong asked Jiang Liuli to join forces against Huang Xiao, but she declined and challenged Jia Kong to handle him himself.