Chapter Summaries

Lu Jiu chose to wait as more people from the Heavenly Demon Sect arrived, while Bai Tianqi recognized Huang Xiao and learned that he had come to avenge his master. Huang Xiao fought Bai Tianqi alone despite the danger, and the chapter ended with Bai Tianqi preparing to finish the fight.

• A subordinate told Lu Jiu that more people, apparently from the Heavenly Demon Sect, had arrived, and Lu Jiu ordered his men to wait and let the opposing groups fight.
• Huang Xiao recognized Bai Tianqi as his master's killer, and Bai Tianqi explained to Lu Jiu that he had killed Huang Xiao's master two years earlier.
• Huang Xiao charged Bai Tianqi, and their first palm clash sent both men staggering back.
• Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng offered to join the fight, but Huang Xiao asked them to wait so he could avenge his master himself.
• Huang Xiao used his Blazing Yang Palm against Bai Tianqi's icy internal force, and Bai Tianqi declared that Huang Xiao would die if that was all the strength he had.

Huang Xiao and Liaochen fought separate battles against Bai Tianqi and Lu Jiu, whose sinister powers threatened to overwhelm them. Liaochen broke three of Lu Jiu’s nails, while Huang Xiao unleashed a sudden counterattack that shattered Bai Tianqi’s arm before both fighters were hurled away.

• Bai Tianqi revealed a cold, sinister aura and pressed Huang Xiao with internal power that invaded his meridians.
• Liaochen and Lu Jiu clashed with Dragon Claw Hand and White Bone Ghost Claw, matching each other’s techniques as Liaochen struggled against Lu Jiu’s greater power.
• Liaochen clamped onto Lu Jiu’s nails and used a powerful twist to snap three of them, though Lu Jiu’s claw force injured him in return.
• Bai Tianqi drove Huang Xiao toward defeat, but Huang Xiao closed his eyes and waited for Bai Tianqi to attack.
• Huang Xiao suddenly struck Bai Tianqi with a surge of palm force, shattering the meridians in his right arm, and both men were hurled away after trading blows to the chest.

Huang Xiao badly injured Bai Tianqi by unleashing the Valley Master's stored internal power, but the strain damaged his meridians and weakened the power suppressing the Heavenly Yin Silkworm's icy energy. Lu Jiu abandoned his attack on Liaochen when he learned the Heavenly Demon Sect had routed the Three Paths and was about to capture Zhang Hu.

• Bai Tianqi struck Huang Xiao away but suffered severe injuries and spat black blood.
• Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng tried to heal Huang Xiao, but he warned them that their power could rupture his damaged meridians and sat down to recover alone.
• Huang Xiao realized that the icy energy in his dantian was escaping suppression and that he might live only ten days to half a month.
• Lu Jiu rebuked Bai Tianqi for being injured by Huang Xiao, while Bai vowed to destroy Green Ox Gate after he recovered.
• A subordinate reported that the Heavenly Demon Sect had routed the Three Paths and was about to capture Zhang Hu, so Lu Jiu left to pursue them and threatened Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng.

After the Shaolin party withdrew, Huang Xiao rejected their offer to return to Huaqing City and rode south toward Dali in search of a last chance to survive. In Hu'ao Valley, Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng witnessed Zhang Hu provoke the factions seeking the Heavenly Demon Canon and learned that the Fang Family's rise had united the other Heavenly Demon Sect lineages against it.

• Liaochen led the Shaolin party away from the struggle, while Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng chose to continue deeper into Hu'ao Valley.
• Despite his grave injuries, Huang Xiao refused to return to Huaqing City and left alone for Dali to seek the Everlasting Spring Valley.
• Zhang Hu challenged the gathered factions to prove themselves if they wanted the Heavenly Demon Canon.
• Fang Qing offered Zhang Hu a position in the Heavenly Demon Sect, while Fang Heng threatened Gu Tu and the other opposing lineages.
• Gu Tu condemned the Fang Family's humble origins, and Fang Qing replied that his lineage had grown powerful while the others declined.
• Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng recognized that the Fang Family controlled the stronger faction and that the other Heavenly Demon Sect lineages had allied against it.

Fang Qing and Gu Tu joined forces to attack the other factions gathered in the valley, setting off a chaotic battle over the Heavenly Demon Canon. As the fighting continued, Dugu Sheng faced Fang Heng, Lu Jiu escaped Gu Tu at great cost, and Zhang Hu waited on the stone platform for an opening.

• Fang Qing and Gu Tu agreed to eliminate the other factions before settling their own claim to the Heavenly Demon Canon, then led the Heavenly Demon Sect into battle.
• Dugu Sheng and Hong Yi fought members of the Three Paths, while Dugu Sheng confronted Fang Heng, who declared that all other geniuses must die.
• Gu Tu overwhelmed Lu Jiu, but Lu Jiu injured himself to trick Gu Tu and flee, leaving Gu Tu to target a Soul-Devouring Demon Sect expert.
• Zhang Hu stayed still on the stone platform, hoping for an opportunity while reflecting on the Heavenly Demon Canon, his injuries, and his plan to avenge his son.

Perfected Person Deqing arrived at Hu'ao Valley and rescued Hong Yi from Gu Tu, while Dugu Sheng was wounded protecting Hong Yi. Deqing confronted Gu Tu as the fighting parties paused, leaving the contest over the Heavenly Demon Canon unresolved.

• Gu Tu attacked Hong Yi, who met his palm with the Dragon-Capturing Divine Palm but was badly injured.
• Dugu Sheng rushed to save Hong Yi and took Fang Heng's sword strike across his back rather than turn to defend himself.
• Perfected Person Deqing arrived with Zhang Daocheng, repelled Gu Tu with a powerful palm strike, and healed some of Hong Yi's internal injuries.
• Deqing rebuked Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng for acting recklessly, while Zhang Daocheng teased Dugu Sheng about his supposed defeat.
• Gu Tu admitted nothing but Deqing's strength through his silence, and Fang Qing mocked him as the fighters watched one another warily.

Fang Qing pretended to challenge Perfected Person Deqing so he could seize Zhang Hu and secure the Heavenly Demon Canon. He rushed toward Zhang Hu as Fang Heng fled, while Gu Tu’s forces and Deqing moved to stop him.

• Fang Qing offered Perfected Person Deqing a reward to stay out of the conflict, but Deqing refused and agreed to fight him.
• Fang Qing and Deqing prepared to clash, and Fang Qing secretly told Fang Heng to get ready to flee.
• Fang Qing feinted toward Deqing, then leaped toward Zhang Hu’s stone platform while Fang Heng ran for the valley exit.
• Gu Tu ordered the Heavenly Demon Sect experts to stop Fang Qing from taking Zhang Hu.
• Perfected Person Deqing chased Fang Qing and resolved to prevent him from escaping with Zhang Hu.

Fang Qing tried to seize Zhang Hu, but You Lian'er stopped him with her Netherworld Demon Zither and challenged the Fang Family's claim to the Heavenly Demon Canon. Fang Qing proposed that she marry his young master to make him sect master, while Perfected Person Deqing explained the You Family's traditional influence and its alliance against the Fang Family.

• Fang Qing lunged for Zhang Hu, but You Lian'er struck him with two zither notes and forced him to fall from the air.
• Dugu Sheng, Zhang Daocheng, and Hong Yi speculated about the veiled woman's beauty and identity until Gu Tu and the others addressed her as their young mistress.
• Fang Qing greeted You Lian'er politely, then she rebuked Gu Tu's group for their failures and told Fang Qing he could not obtain the Heavenly Demon Canon while she was present.
• Fang Qing urged You Lian'er to marry his young master, arguing that the alliance would make him the Heavenly Demon Sect's rightful sect master and insulting the other lineages.
• You Lian'er questioned whether the Fang Family already considered itself the Heavenly Demon Sect, and Perfected Person Deqing explained the You Family's traditional role and its alliance with other lineages against the Fang Family.

You Lian'er explained why the Fang Family sought a marriage alliance with her family and why the Heavenly Demon Canon had become a threat to every faction. She offered to let Perfected Person Deqing destroy the scripture if he stopped Fang Qing from obtaining it, leaving Deqing surprised by her request.

• Perfected Person Deqing explained that the Fang Family wanted the You Family's support to gain legitimacy and unify the Heavenly Demon Sect.
• You Lian'er refused Fang Qing's marriage alliance and rejected his threat.
• You Lian'er asked Perfected Person Deqing whether he would destroy the Heavenly Demon Canon if he could not obtain it.
• You Lian'er promised not to stop Deqing from destroying the scripture if he defeated Fang Qing and prevented him from taking it.
• Gu Tu and the others protested, but fell silent after You Lian'er argued that the Fang Family obtaining the scripture would leave them powerless.
• Perfected Person Deqing was surprised that You Lian'er would permit the Heavenly Demon Canon's destruction.

You Lian'er persuaded Deqing to help kill Fang Qing and revealed that her Netherworld Demon Zither could disrupt the cultivation of Heavenly Demon Sect practitioners. Fang Qing used a forbidden pill to overpower Deqing and reach for Zhang Hu, but You Lian'er's music weakened him, leaving Gu Tu worried that Deqing would take the Heavenly Demon Canon after Fang Qing fell.

• You Lian'er convinced Deqing that she would destroy the Heavenly Demon Canon, and he agreed to confront Fang Qing.
• Deqing recognized the Netherworld Demon Zither, and You Lian'er explained that her Netherworld Demon Eight Tones were incomplete but still powerful.
• You Lian'er left the stone platform to show she would not seize Zhang Hu while Deqing fought Fang Qing.
• Fang Qing tried to reach Zhang Hu, swallowed a forbidden pill, and struck Deqing hard enough to send him crashing to the ground.
• You Lian'er played a note that disrupted Fang Qing's demonic energy and reduced the strength he gained from the pill.
• Gu Tu warned You Lian'er that Deqing might destroy the Heavenly Demon Canon after defeating Fang Qing, but she gave no audible reply.

Fang Qing’s attempt to seize Zhang Hu was repeatedly thwarted by Deqing, whose Dragon Tiger Dao Seal forced Fang Qing to retreat. As their exhausting duel neared its end, You Lian’er turned her zither against both fighters, and Deqing accused her of breaking her promise.

• Deqing unleashed the Dragon Tiger Double Seals, driving Fang Qing away from Zhang Hu and blasting a huge cavity into the cliff.
• Fang Qing ordered his subordinates to attack and charged Deqing again before he could recover from the technique’s heavy cost.
• Fang Qing and Deqing fought until both were bloodied and nearly exhausted, while You Lian’er watched and Gu Tu remained by her side.
• You Lian’er resumed playing the Netherworld Demon Zither, targeting both Fang Qing and Deqing.
• Deqing accused You Lian’er of going back on her word about letting him destroy the Heavenly Demon Canon.

You Lian'er killed Fang Qing and blocked Perfected Person Deqing while Zhang Hu fought his way toward the valley exit. She promised to heal Zhang Hu and preserve his cultivation, and Zhang Hu said he would give her the Heavenly Demon Canon if she kept her word.

• You Lian'er refused to destroy the Heavenly Demon Canon and killed Fang Qing with a note from her Netherworld Demon Zither.
• Fang Heng retreated with the few Fang Family disciples who survived as the Jianghu fighters turned their attention to Zhang Hu.
• Zhang Hu fought through the crowd, killing dozens, but was trapped by powerful fighters guarding the narrow valley exit.
• You Lian'er stopped Perfected Person Deqing from pursuing Zhang Hu, and Deqing told Zhang Daocheng, Hong Yi, and Dugu Sheng to stay back.
• You Lian'er told Gu Tu she had promised to heal Zhang Hu and preserve his cultivation, then ordered him to hold off the pursuers.
• Zhang Hu told You Lian'er he would give her the Heavenly Demon Canon if she fulfilled her promise, and said he would go ahead.

Zhang Hu revealed that he had secretly learned Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Dragon Tiger Dao Seal, shocking Perfected Person Deqing and the other experts. He used the technique to break through the encirclement and escape with You Lian’er’s help.

• Zhang Hu recalled agreeing to give You Lian’er the Heavenly Demon Canon in exchange for saving his life and preserving his martial power.
• The experts guarding the exit dismissed Zhang Hu’s claim that he could use the Dragon Tiger Dao Seal.
• Zhang Hu demonstrated the Dragon Tiger Dao Seal, leaving Perfected Person Deqing, Zhang Daocheng, Hong Yi, and Dugu Sheng astonished.
• You Lian’er told Gu Tu that Zhang Hu had kept a hidden move in reserve.
• The experts dodged Zhang Hu’s attack, allowing him to break through their encirclement.

Zhang Hu escaped the valley, but You Lian'er and Auntie Guo delayed Han Bo and the other pursuers long enough for him to get away. His escape set the Jianghu searching for him, while Huang Xiao entered the Dali Kingdom unaware of the turmoil.

• Zhang Hu escaped the experts surrounding him by controlling the Dragon Tiger Dao Seal and fleeing at speed.
• Han Bo tried to capture Zhang Hu outside the valley, but Zhang Hu evaded him until Auntie Guo intervened.
• You Lian'er ordered Auntie Guo to hold Han Bo back, allowing Zhang Hu to escape and considering whether to give him aid in exchange for the Heavenly Demon Canon.
• Han Bo agreed to wait after Perfected Person Deqing explained that no one else could stop Zhang Hu, while Deqing hoped to prevent more casualties.
• The Jianghu dispatched experts to hunt for Zhang Hu, while Huang Xiao entered the Dali Kingdom without knowing what had happened.

Huang Xiao reached the Dali Kingdom while the icy energy in his body rapidly worsened, leaving him with little time to live. He asked a tea stall owner for directions to the Peak of Immortality but learned nothing, then noticed a group of twelve arriving as other customers fled.

• Huang Xiao arrived in the Dali Kingdom after seven days of travel, with the icy energy freezing his dantian and meridians.
• Huang Xiao accidentally chilled a server and froze his tea as the cold energy became harder to control.
• Huang Xiao asked the tea stall owner where to find the Peak of Immortality, but the owner had never heard of it.
• The owner noticed the frozen tea and realized Huang Xiao was an extraordinary martial arts expert.
• Huang Xiao resolved to keep searching and turned to watch a group of twelve approach, led by a young man and an old man.

Huang Xiao encountered a party of Jianghu travelers at a tea stall, where Uncle Qi stopped his subordinate from mistreating him after noticing the frozen tea on his table. Uncle Qi learned that an immortal was said to live on Everlasting Spring Mountain, and his party set out to find him.

• A Jianghu party arrived at the tea stall, and one of its men tried to drive Huang Xiao away from his table.
• Elder Qi ordered the man to apologize to Huang Xiao and noticed the bowl of frozen tea, which suggested Huang Xiao had abilities beyond his apparent cultivation.
• Elder Qi asked the proprietor about the immortal rumored to live in Dali, and the proprietor described someone who had supposedly brought the dead back to life.
• The proprietor directed the party to Everlasting Spring Mountain, three hundred li south, and Uncle Qi and the young master departed with their companions.
• The author explained that earlier references to Western Xia had been revised because the state had not yet been founded at this point in the story.

Huang Xiao learned from an inn proprietor about immortals on Everlasting Spring Mountain and concluded that the mountain might be the Everlasting Spring Valley he had been told to seek. Believing it offered his only chance to survive his grave wounds, he set off for the mountain.

• Huang Xiao asked the proprietor whether immortals on Everlasting Spring Mountain could bring the dead back to life.
• The proprietor recounted how an immortal had revived his dead nephew after nearly half a day, and explained that visitors waited or searched the vast, treacherous mountain for immortals.
• Huang Xiao reasoned that the so-called immortal might be a skilled healer who used formations to conceal himself.
• Huang Xiao asked whether Everlasting Spring Valley was on the mountain, and the proprietor suggested it might be one of its many valleys.
• Huang Xiao decided the mountain was the place he had been seeking, paid the proprietor, and hurried south toward Everlasting Spring Mountain.

Huang Xiao, weakened by the cold energy in his body, came upon bandits raiding a village and tried to stop their chief, One-Eyed Wolf. After injuring the chief but failing to defeat him, Huang Xiao faced him again as his strength began to give out.

• Huang Xiao reached a village at night and found One-Eyed Wolf’s bandits capturing villagers, seizing their belongings, and taking women and villagers as forced labor.
• Huang Xiao challenged One-Eyed Wolf despite knowing his injuries left him badly outnumbered and weakened.
• One-Eyed Wolf underestimated Huang Xiao and held back his saber strike, allowing Huang Xiao to disarm him and land a palm strike to his chest.
• One-Eyed Wolf attacked Huang Xiao with his fists, and Huang Xiao evaded or endured several blows before retreating as the cold energy stirred within him.
• Huang Xiao declared that One-Eyed Wolf could die as he prepared to continue fighting.

Huang Xiao killed One-Eyed Wolf and helped the villagers defeat the bandits with the arrival of Uncle Qi’s party. He declined to travel with them that night, choosing to recover from a slight injury before continuing toward Everlasting Spring Mountain.

• Huang Xiao used One-Eyed Wolf’s Steel Saber to behead him, then killed the bandits who charged at him.
• Uncle Sun and the village head urged the villagers to fight, and the villagers attacked the remaining bandit guards.
• Uncle Qi and his party arrived, killed the bandits pursuing them, and joined Huang Xiao in confronting the survivors.
• Uncle Qi ordered his men to kill the bandits who begged for mercy, and the village head thanked the heroes.
• Huang Xiao told Uncle Qi that he was headed toward Everlasting Spring Mountain but declined to travel with the party because he wanted to recover overnight.

After defeating the bandits, Huang Xiao’s worsening injuries overwhelmed him, and the villagers brought him to Uncle Sun for treatment. Uncle Sun began an unusual remedy using ice, then sensed something unexpected in Huang Xiao’s internal power.

• Uncle Qi and the young master rode on toward Everlasting Spring Mountain, wary of Huang Xiao’s strange aura.
• Huang Xiao refused the village chief’s invitation to stay at his home, but the cold inside him surged and he collapsed.
• The villagers carried Huang Xiao to Uncle Sun’s home, struggling against the freezing cold radiating from his body.
• Uncle Sun examined Huang Xiao and ordered the villagers to prepare medicinal ingredients, a bathing tub, and stored ice instead of hot water.
• Uncle Sun recognized that Huang Xiao’s meridians and dantian were severely damaged, but promised to preserve his life.
• Uncle Sun checked Huang Xiao’s pulse again and was startled by the internal power he detected.