Chapter Summaries

Huang Xiao, Jiang Liuli, and Zhangsun Youyue explored a hidden valley, speculating that it held treasures left by the Three Great Families. After finding a strange cliff face and no immediate way through, they returned to the village to make shelter and prepare to cook.

• Jiang Liuli, Zhangsun Youyue, and Huang Xiao discussed whether the valley was a secret refuge of the Three Great Families and whether treasures such as Dragon Fang or the Evil Daoist Canon might be hidden there.
• The three passed the graveyard and found a towering, unusually smooth cliff at the end of the valley.
• Jiang Liuli inspected part of the cliff, but Huang Xiao warned that hidden chambers might require formations or mechanisms to uncover.
• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue returned to the village, repaired a ruined house, and made a shelter while Huang Xiao rested by the doorway.
• Zhangsun Youyue found a pot and spatula and said she would learn to cook, prompting Jiang Liuli to fall silent when she mentioned they might be stuck there for a lifetime.

Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli found supplies in the ruined village and went to wash in a nearby stream, bringing the weakened Huang Xiao along for safety. While they played in the water, Huang Xiao worried that he might never recover or escape, and the chapter left him silently grappling with those fears.

• Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli gathered usable pots and jars from the ruined village and finished repairing the roof.
• Jiang Liuli found a clear stream, and Zhangsun Youyue invited her to wash there.
• Zhangsun Youyue insisted Huang Xiao come with them, and he agreed to lie on a rock with his eyes closed while they bathed.
• Huang Xiao worried that he might remain weak and childlike forever and wondered how he could return to the Great Song or escape the village.
• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue relaxed in the stream and joked with each other while Huang Xiao kept his eyes closed.

Huang Xiao accidentally swept his Divine Sense over Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue while they bathed, then admitted what he had sensed. After the women finished washing, they put the helpless Huang Xiao in the stream and undressed him to bathe him, leaving him mortified.

• Huang Xiao sensed something nearby, searched with his Divine Sense, and accidentally detected the two women bathing.
• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue noticed his Divine Sense, but Zhangsun Youyue brushed it off as a passing gust of wind.
• Huang Xiao admitted that he had probed the area and seen a little, prompting Jiang Liuli to tell him to keep quiet.
• Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli washed and dried their dresses, then carried Huang Xiao into the stream when he asked to bathe.
• When Huang Xiao realized he could not bathe himself, the women undressed him and began washing him, and Jiang Liuli smacked his bare bottom.

Huang Xiao explained to Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue that his Jade Slip was genuine and that Liu Chongming had given it to him. After weeks of being unable to restore his strength or understand the cliff wall, the three investigated a sudden rumble and discovered a cave that had opened in it.

• Jiang Liuli found Huang Xiao's Jade Slip in his clothes, and he told the women that it was genuine while Liu Chongming's had been a fake.
• Huang Xiao spent nearly half a month trying to recover his strength while Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue explored their surroundings and examined the cliff wall.
• Zhangsun Youyue suggested returning to the lakeshore, and Jiang Liuli agreed that the cliff wall was their only unusual lead.
• A thunderous rumble came from behind the village, so Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue brought Huang Xiao to investigate the cliff wall.
• The three found a cave nearly ten feet high and five feet wide in the cliff, with broken rocks scattered below it.

Huang Xiao, Jiang Liuli, and Zhangsun Youyue explored a newly appeared cave and cautiously followed its passage to a lit stone chamber. They heard a voice and found three stone coffins, leaving them to address an unseen presence.

• Jiang Liuli and Zhangsun Youyue argued over who should investigate the cave, but Huang Xiao insisted on going with them.
• Huang Xiao guided the women through the twisting passage, checking for traps and formations as they went.
• The three noticed their journey had been suspiciously easy but continued until they reached a chamber lit by burning oil lamps.
• A hoarse voice urged them onward, and they entered the circular chamber, where they saw three black stone coffins.
• Huang Xiao greeted the unseen speaker and asked forgiveness for disturbing their secluded cultivation.

Huang Xiao, Zhangsun Youyue, and Jiang Liuli entered a strange chamber and watched an ancient man emerge from a stone coffin. The man identified himself as Zhu and suspected Huang Xiao was connected to the Wang Family because he carried the aura of the Ancient Evil Blade Tiger Wing.

• Huang Xiao and the two women entered the chamber, where the middle stone coffin opened and released a cloud of cold mist.
• An old man rose from the coffin and questioned Huang Xiao about his unusual change from big to small.
• The old man revealed that he had probed Huang Xiao with his divine sense by a stream and had heard the group speaking over the past half month.
• Huang Xiao explained that his Rejuvenation came from a cultivation method but was temporary, and the old man's interest in it faded.
• The old man gave his surname as Zhu and said Huang Xiao carried the aura of the Ancient Evil Blade Tiger Wing.
• Zhangsun Youyue defended Huang Xiao's surname, and Jiang Liuli asked whether he was a descendant of the Wang Family.

Huang Xiao explained that Tiger Wing was with Wang Jiu and Inugami was with Fan Zhongkun, while he knew nothing about the Wang and Fan families’ descendants. Senior Zhu learned that the blade-bearers were only at the Martial and Void Martial realms and erupted in anger, condemning them as unworthy descendants.

• Huang Xiao told Senior Zhu that he had only encountered Tiger Wing and that Wang Jiu currently held it.
• Huang Xiao said he knew nothing about Wang Jiu’s family, and Senior Zhu speculated that the Wang lineage had declined.
• Huang Xiao reported that Dragon Fang had been missing for ten thousand years and that Fan Zhongkun possessed Inugami.
• Huang Xiao explained that Wang Jiu and Fan Zhongkun had joined forces with him and described their cultivation levels and abilities.
• Senior Zhu angrily denounced the Wang and Fan descendants as useless and unworthy of the Three Great Families.

Huang Xiao and his companions met the sleeping elders of the Three Great Families, who learned that the Demon Hall had defeated their ancestors and still dominated Jianghu. The elders revealed that the sealed refuge had no way out unless all three Evil Blades were gathered.

• Two elders, Old Man Wang and Old Man Fan, awoke and heard Old Man Zhu explain Huang Xiao's rejuvenation.
• Huang Xiao told the three elders about the Demon Hall's Thousand-Year Period and the state of the world outside.
• The elders discussed their ancestors' defeat, the Demon Hall's strength, and the approaching Thousand-Year Period.
• Old Man Wang doubted that the group could change anything, despite the younger generation possessing Tiger Wing and Inugami.
• Old Man Zhu explained that possessing an Evil Blade allowed entry to the refuge, but escape required all three Evil Blades.

Huang Xiao and the two women learned that only three people had escaped the hidden sanctuary in ten thousand years, at great cost to the elders. After realizing Old Man Zhu had a reason for keeping them alive, Huang Xiao agreed to help him, and Old Man Zhu offered to restore Huang Xiao’s strength.

• Zhangsun Youyue and Huang Xiao asked whether there was a way to leave, and Old Man Zhu revealed that only three people had escaped in ten thousand years, with their survival uncertain.
• Old Man Fan explained that sending the three out had consumed most of the elders’ essence blood and nearly half their remaining lives.
• Old Man Wang warned Huang Xiao, Zhangsun Youyue, and Jiang Liuli to stop hoping to leave.
• Huang Xiao realized Old Man Zhu had brought them to the cave for a purpose and asked what he wanted them to do.
• Old Man Zhu asked whether Huang Xiao wanted to regain his strength, and Old Man Wang boasted that the sanctuary’s treasures could even bring the dead back to life.
• Huang Xiao pleaded with Old Man Zhu to restore his strength.

Old Man Zhu discovered traces of supreme demonic qi in Huang Xiao and exposed him as a Demon Hall disciple, alarming Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli. After Huang Xiao admitted the truth, Old Man Wang demanded his death, but Old Man Zhu and Old Man Fan stopped him, leaving Huang Xiao alive for now.

• Old Man Zhu examined Huang Xiao and detected supreme demonic qi, then seized him and accused him of being a villain of the Demon Hall.
• Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli tried to explain the qi as residue from the attacker who had injured Huang Xiao.
• Old Man Zhu rejected their explanation and threatened them, while Huang Xiao realized the old men might not intend to kill him immediately.
• Huang Xiao admitted that he was a disciple of the Demon Hall's Heavenly Demon Hall.
• Old Man Wang moved to kill Huang Xiao, but Old Man Zhu held him back and Old Man Fan argued against killing him; Old Man Wang withdrew to his stone coffin.

Huang Xiao revealed his role as the Heavenly Demon Hall’s candidate for the Hall Master’s Seat, and Old Man Zhu led him and the others to a hidden chamber containing a supreme treasure that might help him recover. There, Huang Xiao sensed evil qi like that of Inugami and Tiger Wing, while Old Man Zhu connected his Supreme Demonic Qi to the Demon Hall’s Supreme Demon Wall.

• Huang Xiao told Old Man Zhu and Old Man Fan that he was the Heavenly Demon Hall’s candidate for the Hall Master’s Seat and explained how he had replaced Chao Jue.
• Old Man Zhu said Huang Xiao would have little hope of defeating Pang Yi, but Huang Xiao vowed to give the contest everything he had.
• Old Man Zhu led Huang Xiao, Zhangsun Youyue, and Jiang Liuli through a concealed door to a smaller chamber to show them a supreme treasure that could help Huang Xiao recover.
• Huang Xiao found a black pillar surrounded by dense evil qi and recognized its aura as similar to the evil qi on Inugami and Tiger Wing.
• Old Man Zhu said Huang Xiao’s Supreme Demonic Qi likely came from contact with the Demon Hall’s Supreme Demon Wall.

Huang Xiao agreed to risk his life by using the Supreme Evil Pillar to heal his severely damaged body. After Old Man Zhu sent him toward the pillar, Huang Xiao began screaming in agony, and Zhangsun Youyue learned he had to endure its supreme evil qi for three shichen without dying.

• Old Man Fan and Old Man Zhu explained that the Supreme Evil Pillar could restore Huang Xiao’s strength, but the process could kill him and they would not spend their remaining energy protecting him.
• Huang Xiao accepted the danger because he feared he would never recover otherwise, and Zhangsun Youyue urged him to stay alive.
• Old Man Zhu flung Huang Xiao toward the Supreme Evil Pillar, where he collapsed and screamed in pain.
• Jiang Liuli stopped Zhangsun Youyue from rushing to Huang Xiao, while Old Man Zhu said that his screams showed he was still conscious.
• Jiang Liuli asked how Huang Xiao was supposed to heal, and Old Man Zhu revealed that he had to survive three full shichen in the supreme evil qi.

Huang Xiao endured the Supreme Evil Pillar’s overwhelming evil qi, unaware that it was meant to heal him, and tried several ways to survive its agony. After igniting his heart fire, he accidentally refined the evil qi and accelerated the disintegration of his flesh and blood, but a warm current from the Jade Slip reached him as he faced death.

• Old Man Fan explained that Huang Xiao had to endure the supreme evil qi for six hours, while Old Man Zhu said the agony might help him hold on; Zhangsun Youyue shouted the explanation to Huang Xiao.
• Huang Xiao could not hear Zhangsun Youyue and tried to resist the evil qi with his Heavenly Demon Skill, but it overwhelmed his true qi and tore through his flesh, blood, and bones.
• Huang Xiao recalled using heart fire against supreme demonic qi and attempted to gather the evil qi with his Northern Darkness Absorption Method, which made the onslaught more violent.
• Huang Xiao used his remaining essence blood to ignite heart fire, but it refined the evil qi and made his body disintegrate faster as his essence blood was nearly exhausted.
• Huang Xiao felt a warm current coming from the Jade Slip in his chest.

Huang Xiao endured the destruction of his flesh and blood as the Jade Slip’s warm current eased his pain and helped restore his body and essence blood. He began refining the evil qi to speed his recovery, while Old Man Fan sensed that his consciousness remained clear despite his silence.

• The Jade Slip released a warm current that eased Huang Xiao’s pain and kept his consciousness clear as the evil qi continued breaking down his body.
• Huang Xiao realized that his flesh and blood had begun to recover under the evil qi’s influence, marking the start of the restoration stage.
• The Jade Slip’s warm current accelerated Huang Xiao’s bodily recovery and replenished his essence blood.
• Huang Xiao continued refining the evil qi to hasten his recovery, hoping to restore his body before the Jade Slip’s warm current ran out.
• Old Man Zhu and Old Man Fan noticed Huang Xiao had fallen silent, and Old Man Fan reassured Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli that Huang Xiao’s consciousness was still clear.

While trapped beneath the Supreme Evil Pillar’s influence, Huang Xiao tried to heal his ruined body by combining his healing true qi with the Jade Slip’s warm current. He began using heart fire and the Ten Thousand Demons Formless Art to transform his true qi’s aura, and the change slowly started to work.

• Old Man Fan told Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli that he could not safely approach Huang Xiao, though he sensed Huang Xiao might recover faster than expected.
• Huang Xiao realized the Jade Slip’s healing aura would not last, then used the Everlasting Spring Youth-Restoring Divine Art to speed his recovery.
• Huang Xiao tried to use the Ten Thousand Demons Formless Art to make his healing true qi resemble the Jade Slip’s warm current, but the true qi resisted.
• Huang Xiao refined his everlasting spring ageless true qi with heart fire and tried again, weakening its resistance and gradually transforming its aura.

Huang Xiao transformed his everlasting spring ageless true qi until its aura was about seventy percent similar to the Jade Slip’s warm current, enabling his flesh and blood to rebuild after the warm current ran out. He emerged from the stone chamber able to move, but Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli remained unsure whether his childlike body meant he had fully recovered.

• Huang Xiao found that his altered everlasting spring ageless true qi healed him more effectively, though it reached only about seventy percent similarity to the Jade Slip’s warm current.
• The Jade Slip’s warm current ran out as Huang Xiao’s flesh and blood began rebuilding, and Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli heard him groan and realized he was still alive.
• Old Man Zhu and Old Man Fan explained that Huang Xiao had faced a dangerous recovery that few could survive, and Old Man Zhu said Huang Xiao was nearly healed after only three hours.
• After his body was restored, Huang Xiao felt the evil qi begin breaking it down again, then discovered he could move and that his weakness had disappeared.
• Huang Xiao sprang to the stone chamber entrance and told Zhangsun Youyue he was all right; Zhangsun Youyue embraced him while Jiang Liuli questioned whether he had truly recovered because he still looked like a child.

After recovering, Huang Xiao learned that Old Man Zhu and Old Man Fan planned to let him and the two women leave in exchange for carrying out a task. Two months later, Huang Xiao finished his recovery and sat beside the village stream, awaiting what came next.

• Huang Xiao told Old Man Zhu and Old Man Fan that he needed two months to recover, and they agreed to discuss their terms afterward.
• Huang Xiao returned to the lodgings with Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli and set up a soundproofing formation so they could speak privately.
• Huang Xiao and the women suspected the old men wanted them to pass on the Three Great Families' secrets, possibly by finding descendants such as Fan Zhongkun and Wang Jiu.
• Huang Xiao and the two women cultivated in seclusion for two months.
• After two months passed, Huang Xiao sat cross-legged on a rock beside the stream in front of the village.

After recovering from Rejuvenation, Huang Xiao found that his internal power had not increased, but he realized that the Jade Slip’s aura had greatly strengthened the healing properties of his Everlasting Spring Ageless True Qi. He named this developing power Imperishable True Qi, then heard a voice call out to Senior Zhu.

• Huang Xiao told Zhangsun Youyue and Jiang Liuli that his body had recovered completely, though his internal power had barely changed.
• Zhangsun Youyue suggested celebrating with the fish she and Jiang Liuli had caught, and Huang Xiao let them prepare the meal.
• Huang Xiao reflected that the Jade Slip’s warm aura had helped transform his Everlasting Spring Ageless True Qi and improve its healing power.
• Huang Xiao named the developing true qi Imperishable True Qi and wondered what mastery might bring.
• A voice called out to Senior Zhu, prompting Huang Xiao and the two women to react.

Huang Xiao and the two women followed the three old men to a hidden underground pool, which Old Man Zhu identified as a formation leading outside. Old Man Wang forced Huang Xiao into its evil-qi-filled water, where Huang Xiao used the Ten Thousand Demons Formless Art to heal himself rapidly, then emerged when Old Man Zhu called him out.

• Huang Xiao and the two women answered the three old men’s summons and followed them through a concealed passage underground.
• The old men brought them to a chamber with a pool and explained that its formation led outside.
• Old Man Wang ordered Huang Xiao into the pool, then kicked him back in when he tried to escape its painful effects.
• Huang Xiao recognized the pool’s concentrated evil qi and used the Ten Thousand Demons Formless Art to speed the regeneration of his flesh and blood.
• Old Man Zhu called Huang Xiao out, and the old men discussed his cultivation method and his ability to endure the evil-qi baptism.

Huang Xiao was forced to endure a stronger surge of evil qi in the pool as Old Man Zhu, Old Man Fan, and Old Man Wang tested his ability to withstand it. The old men stopped the test and pulled him from the pool, leaving it unclear whether he was ready to leave.

• Old Man Zhu told Huang Xiao he had to adapt to the evil qi before he could escape, and the three old men decided to test him with a stronger surge.
• Huang Xiao jumped into the pool while the three old men took positions at the three holes around it.
• Old Man Fan, Old Man Wang, and Old Man Zhu summoned imitation Inugami, Tiger Wing, and Dragon Fang and thrust them into the holes.
• The activated runes caused the pool's evil qi to surge several times stronger, tearing Huang Xiao's flesh despite his Imperishable True Qi.
• The three old men withdrew their auras, and Old Man Fan pulled the bloodied Huang Xiao from the pool.