Chapter Summaries

Huang Xiao forced Jia Kong to withdraw, then collected Formation Marks from the Imperial Court survivors as payment for saving them. He left with Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue after taking the Identity Tokens, while Jia Kong remained focused on the Longevity Pill Manual.

• Jia Kong retreated with his subordinates rather than risk fighting Huang Xiao, whom he believed might have Sword Pavilion and Bishui Palace forces nearby.
• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue discussed Jia Kong's strength, and Huang Xiao urged them to leave quickly.
• Zhangsun Youyue seized nineteen Identity Tokens from the Imperial Court expert and gave them to Huang Xiao, bringing his Formation Marks to one hundred.
• Huang Xiao demanded Formation Marks from Liu Wu as payment for saving the Imperial Court group, and Liu Wu surrendered his fourteen marks.
• Huang Xiao also took Yu Du's nine Formation Marks, then left with the Four Women.

Huang Xiao and his companions discovered a change in his Identity Token after his Formation Marks passed a hundred, then spent the night discussing their feelings before setting out toward the Longevity Pill Manual. The next morning, Zhangsun Youyue seemed composed, but Jiang Liuli treated Huang Xiao more coldly as the three continued toward their destination.

• Huang Xiao took Liu Wu and Yu Du's Formation Marks, bringing his total to 121, and Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue praised his ability to gather them alone.
• Huang Xiao noticed a faint red glow and a strange stirring from his Identity Token, and Jiang Liuli guessed that passing a hundred Formation Marks had triggered a new function.
• The three found a concealed campsite, where Huang Xiao set an Illusion Formation and cooked a rabbit and pheasant for dinner.
• Jiang Liuli teased Zhangsun Youyue about her feelings for Huang Xiao, and Zhangsun Youyue asked whether he really had a wife.
• Huang Xiao said he had four wives, prompting Jiang Liuli to leave the campfire and Zhangsun Youyue to call him blessed before both women withdrew.
• The next morning, Zhangsun Youyue greeted Huang Xiao as usual while Jiang Liuli acted more coldly toward him, and the three set off toward the Longevity Pill Manual.

After a night of slaughter around the lake, Pang Yi and Sword God Yi maneuvered to lead the remaining powers in breaking the formation that concealed the Longevity Pill Manual. Pang Yi sent Chao Jue and Lou Feishang ahead to check the Sword Pavilion’s meeting, while the other factions gathered on the southern shore and the Demon and Ghost Factions were still approaching.

• Pang Yi collected Formation Marks from his subordinates and from Chao Jue and Lou Feishang, bringing his total to 103 and warning them to compete for the Longevity Pill Manual.
• A Sword Pavilion messenger told Pang Yi that Sword God Yi had invited the remaining powers to meet on the southern shore and discuss breaking the lake’s formation.
• Pang Yi ordered Chao Jue and Lou Feishang to reach the meeting place first, then prepared to follow with the God-Burying Hall experts.
• Li Chaoxun led the Bishui Palace group toward the southern shore, while the other surviving powers formed an alliance before heading there together.
• Sword God Yi learned that Pang Yi and Li Chaoxun were on their way and that the Demon and Ghost Factions, along with the Heavenly Sword Sect’s people, had not yet arrived.

Sword God Yi, Pang Yi, and Li Chaoxun gathered their factions on the southern shore to coordinate their efforts to break the formation and obtain the Longevity Pill Manual. After the three leaders agreed on an equal seating arrangement, more than a hundred people arrived before they could decide whether to attack the remaining factions.

• Sword God Yi learned that Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue might have survived their encounter with Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang, with Huang Xiao possibly helping them escape.
• Sword God Yi led the Sword Pavilion to the southern shore, where Chao Jue and Lou Feishang and then Pang Yi arrived with their remaining followers.
• Pang Yi challenged the choice of seats, but Sword God Yi proposed leaving the head seat empty and giving the three factions equal standing.
• Li Chaoxun arrived and accepted the seat Sword God Yi had reserved for him, forming an arrangement that represented the three sides as equals.
• Pang Yi proposed attacking the other factions if they did not arrive within a quarter of an hour, but a crowd of more than a hundred appeared before the deadline.

Sword God Yi explained that the survivors needed to use Formation Marks, gathered from the dead, to weaken the lake’s Grand Formation, but reaching its center would cost lives. Pang Yi, Sword God Yi, and Li Chaoxun’s groups agreed to provide people for the dangerous attempt.

• Chenwu, Hu Kelie, and Yongxing arrived with their allies and refused to share a table with Sword God Yi, Li Chaoxun, and Pang Yi.
• Sword God Yi said the absent Heavenly Sword Sect and Demon and Ghost Factions would not delay the gathering, and he proposed setting rules for breaking the formation.
• Sword God Yi revealed that Formation Marks absorbed life force from people killed inside the formation and could be used to weaken the lake’s Grand Formation.
• Sword God Yi warned that the Formation Marks would work best near the lake’s center, where anyone sent to use them would face deadly danger.
• Pang Yi, Sword God Yi, and Li Chaoxun each confirmed that their groups would accept the deaths required to break the formation.

Sword God Yi, Pang Yi, and Li Chaoxun compared their Formation Marks with the allied forces and argued over the unexpected shortfall. They agreed to break the Grand Formation and prepare for the Demon and Ghost Factions and the Heavenly Sword Sect, while the final voice transmissions revealed that the three major powers had reached a private agreement.

• Sword God Yi, Pang Yi, and Li Chaoxun revealed that they held 106, 103, and 102 Formation Marks, while Hu Kelie said the allied forces had only 71.
• Li Chaoxun calculated that only 382 Formation Marks had been accounted for despite more than six hundred deaths, and Pang Yi suspected the Demon and Ghost Factions and the Heavenly Sword Sect held the rest.
• Sword God Yi disclosed that Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing had lowered their realms to enter, and Pang Yi proposed breaking the formation before the other forces arrived.
• Sword God Yi said they needed at least 400 Formation Marks at the Lake's center and 500 or more overall, but Pang Yi urged them to try and seize the other forces' marks if necessary.
• Sword God Yi accepted the plan, and Pang Yi said every faction with Formation Marks had to send someone into the Lake; Hu Kelie, Yong Xin, and Chenwu then received voice transmissions revealing that the three major powers had made a private agreement.

Hu Kelie forced the allied groups to contribute twelve people to break the lake formation, but after ten were killed, the two survivors died despite carrying forty and forty-one Formation Marks. The three great powers then drew lots to decide who would send their next formation breaker first.

• Hu Kelie allocated twelve people from the allied groups according to their Formation Marks and threatened those who resisted.
• Hu Kelie and the other leaders sealed the twelve chosen people’s acupoints, and the three great powers allowed only a Heavenly Evil Sect expert and a Small Buddha Temple monk to survive.
• The ten condemned people were killed, and their Formation Marks were divided between the two survivors, giving them forty and forty-one each.
• The Heavenly Evil Sect expert and the monk flew toward the lake’s center, found they could not descend into the water, and were consumed by the flames after a quarter of an hour.
• Sword God Yi proposed drawing lots to set the order for the next attempt, and Pang Yi, Sword God Yi, and Li Chaoxun established that God-Burying Hall would go first, Sword Pavilion second, and Bishui Palace third.

Pang Yi, Sword God Yi, and Li Chaoxun continued sacrificing experts and Formation Marks to weaken the lake formation while Sword God Yi confirmed that the Longevity Pill Manual consisted of nine Jade Slips. A Bishui Palace expert endured above the water as the attempt continued, while Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang learned that their factions had been threatened and needed to hurry to the lake.

• The God-Burying Hall expert and then a Sword Pavilion expert died while trying to weaken the flames, and Sword God Yi urged the next volunteer to stay above the water to conserve Formation Marks.
• Pang Yi proposed killing members of the two absent factions for their Formation Marks, but Li Chaoxun and Sword God Yi argued for giving them more time to arrive.
• A Bishui Palace expert entered the flames and remained above the lake, while Sword God Yi told Pang Yi that the Longevity Pill Manual had been divided into nine Jade Slips.
• After an hour, the Bishui Palace expert had fifty Formation Marks left and believed he could endure for over two hours.
• A scout reported the ultimatum to Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang, who recognized that their group needed to hurry to the lake.

Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang pursued Huang Xiao, Zhangsun Youyue, and Jiang Liuli, hoping to take Huang Xiao’s Formation Marks. Huang Xiao tried to save the women by sending them ahead, but they returned to fight beside him, leaving the three facing their pursuers together.

• Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang set out with their surviving followers and estimated how many Formation Marks the Heavenly Sword Sect and Huang Xiao held.
• Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing spotted Huang Xiao, Zhangsun Youyue, and Jiang Liuli, then chased them toward the final destination.
• Huang Xiao refused to abandon the women, despite their urging him to flee alone as Zhong and Xiang closed in.
• Huang Xiao threw Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli ahead to save them, then turned to face Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing by himself.
• Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli returned to help Huang Xiao, and Jiang Liuli drew the Lihuo Sword as Huang Xiao joined them.

Huang Xiao, Jiang Liuli, and Zhangsun Youyue fought Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang while waiting for help, but their enemies’ forces were closing in. As the women faced a seemingly fatal attack, Huang Xiao remained locked in battle with Xiang Guiqing and watched their desperate situation.

• Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang demanded Huang Xiao’s Formation Marks and attacked the three companions, so Huang Xiao chose to fight Xiang Guiqing while Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue faced Zhong Tianlang.
• Huang Xiao traded blows with Xiang Guiqing and used the Everlasting Spring Youth-Restoring Divine Art to recover his injuries and internal power, hoping to wear his opponent down before reinforcements arrived.
• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue coordinated their sword attacks against Zhong Tianlang, targeting his wrists, but they exhausted themselves without injuring him.
• Zhong Tianlang prepared to finish off the two women, who accepted that they might die and laughed together, while Huang Xiao continued watching them from his fight with Xiang Guiqing.

Huang Xiao revealed that he had mastered the fifth form of the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques and wounded Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing while escaping with Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli. After sending the women ahead, he stayed behind to face the pursuers and struck Xiang Guiqing with another powerful slash that also cut down their followers.

• Huang Xiao used two fifth-form saber slashes to wound Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing, then carried Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli away as their pursuers closed in.
• Huang Xiao told Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli to flee while he stayed behind to hold off Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing.
• Huang Xiao charged at Xiang Guiqing and unleashed a powerful slash, cutting Xiang Guiqing's cheek as he dodged.
• Huang Xiao's saber force passed through two pursuing Demon and Ghost Factions fighters, killing them, and shattered a third man's sword while severely injuring him.

Huang Xiao feigned weakness to help the two women escape, then broke through Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing’s pursuit and fled toward the final destination. The two men realized he had not used a forbidden art, but remained torn over whether to keep chasing him.

• Xiang Guiqing stopped his men from pursuing the fleeing women and ordered them to watch the surroundings while he and Zhong Tianlang fought Huang Xiao.
• Huang Xiao appeared exhausted and baited Zhong Tianlang into a powerful clash, then used a roar to disrupt his opponent and drove him back.
• Huang Xiao fled along the right-hand path, deliberately separating himself from the two women and heading toward the final destination.
• Huang Xiao used his sound art to pass two guards without killing them, and Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing resumed the pursuit.
• Xiang Guiqing realized Huang Xiao had not used a forbidden art, while Huang Xiao’s recovery and growing speed left both pursuers unsure whether to continue.

Huang Xiao was cornered by Jia Kong while fleeing Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing, and the three forces negotiated over who would claim the Formation Marks he carried. Their discussion revealed that Jia Kong had 42 Formation Marks and Xiang Guiqing had 53, far fewer than expected, leaving them to suspect Huang Xiao held the missing marks.

• Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing decided to spend more internal power to intercept Huang Xiao as he fled.
• Jia Kong ambushed Huang Xiao, then faced Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing as their forces gathered and surrounded him.
• Jia Kong claimed he could defeat the injured Huang Xiao and demanded a share of his Formation Marks, provoking Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing.
• Jia Kong said he had 42 Formation Marks, and Xiang Guiqing revealed that their side had only 53.
• Jia Kong, Zhong Tianlang, and Xiang Guiqing all turned to Huang Xiao, suspecting he might possess the Formation Marks they could not account for.

Huang Xiao faced Jia Kong, Xiang Guiqing, and Zhong Tianlang as their uneasy alliance hindered their efforts to attack him together. With his strength nearly exhausted, Huang Xiao committed to one final use of the saber’s Fifth Form as Jia Kong struck at him.

• Xiang Guiqing, Zhong Tianlang, and Jia Kong discussed who held the remaining Formation Marks and agreed to share Huang Xiao’s marks through a temporary alliance.
• Huang Xiao taunted the three men and charged at Jia Kong, parrying Jia Kong’s Heaven-Splitting Palm with the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber’s Fourth Form.
• Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang attacked Huang Xiao from behind, but they dodged away, making Jia Kong suspect they wanted him to bear the danger alone.
• Zhong Tianlang charged Huang Xiao after arguing with Jia Kong, but Huang Xiao redirected his charge toward Jia Kong, forcing Jia Kong to stand and fight.
• Jia Kong unleashed the Heaven-Splitting Palm, and Huang Xiao prepared to use his last available strike of the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber’s Fifth Form.

Huang Xiao fought Jia Kong, Zhong Tianlang, and Xiang Guiqing while trying to escape, but their combined attacks left him grievously wounded. When Xiang Guiqing exposed Huang Xiao’s Red-Copper Token, Jia Kong and Xiang Guiqing contested it, while Zhong Tianlang blocked Huang Xiao’s escape and mistook his disguised, steady aura for strength.

• Huang Xiao unleashed the fifth form of the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques and wounded Jia Kong, redirecting the saber force to follow him as he dodged.
• Xiang Guiqing struck Huang Xiao from behind, and Zhong Tianlang and Jia Kong pressed their attacks, preventing Huang Xiao from escaping.
• Huang Xiao knocked Zhong Tianlang away with a fierce punch, but Jia Kong and Xiang Guiqing attacked him before he could recover.
• Xiang Guiqing pierced Huang Xiao’s chest with his claw, but Huang Xiao clamped both hands around his wrist to stop him from reaching his heart.
• Xiang Guiqing tore Huang Xiao’s clothing and exposed a Red-Copper Token, then reached for it as Jia Kong joined the struggle.
• Zhong Tianlang blocked Huang Xiao’s attempted escape, and Huang Xiao concealed his dire condition by using the Ten Thousand Demons Formless Art to steady his aura.

Huang Xiao used the Red-Copper Token marked “Xuan Ju” to make Jia Kong fear that he belonged to Imperial Remnant Manor, but Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing exposed how badly injured he was. The three prepared to kill him while Jia Kong hesitated, and Huang Xiao secretly hoped Jia Kong could buy him enough time to recover.

• Xiang Guiqing seized the Red-Copper Token, and he and Jia Kong recognized it as a token from Imperial Remnant Manor marked “Xuan Ju.”
• Zhong Tianlang dismissed the danger of Imperial Remnant Manor and pressured Jia Kong to prove his loyalty by helping kill Huang Xiao.
• Jia Kong refused to kill Huang Xiao and threatened to join forces with him, but Xiang Guiqing pointed out that Huang Xiao was gravely injured.
• Huang Xiao admitted that he had disguised his condition, and the others sensed his aura weaken as his strength faded.
• Jia Kong again tried to stop Zhong Tianlang, while Huang Xiao secretly relied on him to delay the attack as he recovered.

Jia Kong agreed to help Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing seize a Jade Slip after they threatened him with the consequences of Huang Xiao's death. Huang Xiao feigned weakness and distracted Jia Kong with a supposed secret, then made a break for the Heavenly Sword Sect's group.

• Xiang Guiqing and Zhong Tianlang pressured Jia Kong to help them obtain a Jade Slip from the Longevity Pill Manual, threatening to expose him if Huang Xiao died.
• Jia Kong accepted their demand but secretly planned to use the coming struggle to turn against them.
• Jia Kong approached Huang Xiao, who calmly refused to trust him and warned him that Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing had their own schemes.
• Huang Xiao claimed he knew a weakness of Zhong Tianlang and Xiang Guiqing, drawing Jia Kong's attention toward them.
• Huang Xiao suddenly charged toward the Heavenly Sword Sect's gathered group, and Jia Kong ordered his subordinates to stop him as he pursued.

Huang Xiao fled Jia Kong and Xiang Guiqing by using his sound art and ingenious footwork, but Zhong Tianlang took a shortcut and intercepted him. Huang Xiao saw a cliff and a lake covered by eerie crimson flames ahead, leaving his escape route uncertain.

• Huang Xiao distracted Jia Kong and escaped, then used a thunderous whistle to incapacitate the Heavenly Sword Sect men blocking his path.
• Xiang Guiqing and Jia Kong pursued Huang Xiao, realizing his injuries were less severe than they had believed, and boosted their speed with forbidden arts.
• Huang Xiao evaded their interceptions with Lingbo Ethereal Steps as he raced toward the destination marked by the Formation Mark.
• Zhong Tianlang circled ahead and struck Huang Xiao with fist force, but Huang Xiao used the recoil to keep moving.
• Zhong Tianlang blocked Huang Xiao again as Jia Kong and Xiang Guiqing closed in, and Huang Xiao spotted a sheer cliff and a lake beneath it with eerie crimson flames above the water.

Huang Xiao struggled against Zhong Tianlang by absorbing his true qi, then drove them both toward the mysterious lake’s flames as his only chance to escape. The flames engulfed them above the lake, and Zhong Tianlang’s Formation Mark shielded him temporarily.

• Huang Xiao seized Zhong Tianlang’s arms and began absorbing his true qi, countering Zhong Tianlang’s attacks.
• Zhong Tianlang locked onto Huang Xiao’s arms, but Huang Xiao used his dwindling strength to push them toward the lake.
• Xiang Guiqing warned Zhong Tianlang about the lake’s deadly formation, while Jia Kong hoped their deaths would conceal his role.
• Huang Xiao forced Zhong Tianlang off the cliff and into the formation above the lake.
• Flames engulfed both men, and Zhong Tianlang’s Formation Mark formed a pale red shield around him.

Huang Xiao held Zhong Tianlang inside the Lake formation while Xiang Guiqing persuaded Jia Kong to join the attack. Zhong Tianlang was kicked into the Lake and burned away, and Huang Xiao was left facing Xiang Guiqing and Jia Kong’s assault.

• Xiang Guiqing pressured Jia Kong into helping kill Huang Xiao, warning that Huang Xiao could seek revenge if he survived.
• Xiang Guiqing and Jia Kong charged into the formation to attack Huang Xiao and Zhong Tianlang.
• Huang Xiao used the Heavenly Demon Dragon Roar to disorient Zhong Tianlang, then kicked him into the Lake.
• The Lake’s flames consumed Zhong Tianlang instantly, and Xiang Guiqing cried out in anguish.
• Huang Xiao tried to flee, but Xiang Guiqing and Jia Kong attacked him from behind.