Recaps

Lin Bai escaped the Tomb of the Demon Gods with the Ancient Dao Divine Scripture after fleeing a battle with the General Automaton and the Mountain Dragon Clan woman. Outside, Hong Ding tried to take him away, but the Four Demon Emperors stopped them and demanded to know what had happened inside.

• Lin Bai broke away from the fight, and the Crow reluctantly agreed to leave the other treasures behind and return for them later.
• The Crow guided Lin Bai through the traps and automatons to the hidden exit, and Lin Bai emerged from the Tomb of the Demon Gods alone.
• Hong Ding hurried to Lin Bai and offered to leave without asking what treasure he had found.
• The Four Demon Emperors questioned Lin Bai about their clansmen and the treasures inside the tomb, while their hidden experts prepared to block his departure.
• Lin Bai claimed that he had found no treasures and began describing the deadly traps and losses among the Demon Race.

Lin Bai escaped the Four Demon Emperors by claiming the Tomb of the Demon Gods had injured him, but the Demon Clan leaders later revealed that he had taken a treasure from its deepest chamber. The Mountain Dragon Demon Emperor ordered the others to pursue him before he could reach Silver Moon City.

• Lin Bai told the Four Demon Emperors that traps and a guarded Divine Armory had injured him, and Hong Ding took him away.
• The Peacock Demon Emperor suspected Lin Bai was lying but believed a Quasi-Dao Realm martial artist could not have obtained much from the tomb.
• Kong Qing, Kong Jing, Leng Xuan, Xia Qing, and a Mountain Dragon Clan woman emerged injured and reported that Lin Bai had triggered traps and escaped with a treasure.
• Shan Ning said Lin Bai had navigated the tomb with ease, opened one of nine stone doors, and taken the treasure inside despite its restrictions.
• The Mountain Dragon Demon Emperor urged the other Demon Emperors to chase Lin Bai before he returned to Silver Moon City.

Lin Bai and Hong Ding parted after leaving Barren Mountain Dragon City, and Lin Bai hid in a remote forest to heal while Hong Ding continued toward Silver Moon City. The Four Demon Emperors ambushed Hong Ding to force him to reveal Lin Bai’s whereabouts and treasures, and Hong Ding brought out the Azure Lotus Pagoda to face them.

• Lin Bai shared what he had learned about the Tomb of the Demon Gods with Hong Ding, angering the crow, and Hong Ding thanked him for the information.
• Lin Bai and Hong Ding parted ways on a Lonely Mountain, and Lin Bai flew hundreds of thousands of li to a secluded forest to heal.
• The Four Demon Emperors intercepted Hong Ding on his way to Silver Moon City and demanded to know where Lin Bai had gone.
• Hong Ding denied being able to retrieve Lin Bai or his treasures, and Mountain Dragon Demon Emperor attacked him.
• Hong Ding fought back and revealed the Azure Lotus Pagoda, shocking the Four Demon Emperors.

After recovering in Demon God Ridge, Lin Bai opened the Ancient Dao Divine Scripture and learned how it could let him condense God Seals by drawing power from other martial artists’ Dao Fruits. He mastered its foundations and prepared to begin condensing the seals.

• Lin Bai recovered from his injuries in a hidden tree hollow while the crow lamented the treasures they had left behind in the Tomb of the Demon Gods.
• Lin Bai promised to help the crow claim treasures from the Celestial God Tomb once he was strong enough, and the crow urged him to cultivate the Ancient Dao Divine Scripture.
• Lin Bai opened the Iron Box and read the Ancient Dao Divine Scripture, learning that it could grant up to nine God Seals by drawing power from other people’s Dao Fruits.
• Lin Bai learned that later cultivators had abused the scripture by draining their victims’ Dao Fruit power, causing it to be reviled and nearly erased from the Spirit World.
• Lin Bai cultivated for nearly half a month, mastered the scripture’s foundations, and prepared to condense his God Seals.

Lin Bai used his withered Dao Fruit to condense only a hazy, unstable Dao Seal and realized he needed far more Dao Fruit power to strengthen it. The Crow offered to rent him a treasure that could help him overcome stronger opponents, and revealed a Mountain and Rivers Map.

• Lin Bai refined his withered Dao Fruit, but it yielded only enough power to form a blurry phantom Dao Seal.
• The Crow explained that Lin Bai needed an enormous supply of Dao Fruit power to stabilize and strengthen the seal.
• Lin Bai said he could not easily obtain Dao Fruit power from others or defeat Dao Realm opponents at his current cultivation.
• The Crow offered its knowledge of formations and a treasure, claiming it could help Lin Bai deal with Dao Realm enemies.
• The Crow quoted rental prices of one million Vermillion Bird Pills per use, one hundred million per month, or ten billion per year.
• At Lin Bai's request, the Crow produced a scroll and unfurled a magnificent Mountain and Rivers Map.

The Crow showed Lin Bai the Mountain and Rivers Map, a treasure that revealed nearby terrain and could suppress cultivators’ realms. Lin Bai rented it for a month, while learning that the Demon Sword may have come from the Celestial God Tomb and the Spirit Realm.

• The Crow revealed that the Mountain and Rivers Map depicted the surrounding fifty thousand kilometers and could lower cultivators’ realms, then demonstrated it by suppressing Lin Bai from the Quasi-Dao Realm to the Great Perfection of the Apex Realm.
• The Crow recalled that he had obtained the map alongside other taboo treasures, including a sword forged from a person’s eye and right hand, but could not remember who took the sword or where they went.
• Lin Bai recognized the Crow’s description as matching the Demon Sword and concluded that it had come from the Celestial God Tomb, possibly from the Spirit Realm.
• Lin Bai agreed to rent the Mountain and Rivers Map for a month and let the Crow add the cost to his existing debt, bringing the total to two hundred million Vermillion Bird Pills.
• The Crow gave Lin Bai the map and its controlling incantation, and Lin Bai learned to use it within half an hour.

Lin Bai learned that the Mountain and Rivers Map had been sealed by the Giant God Race and could only access a fraction of its power through the Crow’s incantation. He stayed in Demon God Ridge to cultivate with the map, using it to weaken demons and harvest their Dao Fruit power for his God Seal.

• Lin Bai questioned the Crow about the Mountain and Rivers Map, learning that the Giant God Race had sealed it and that his incantation could unleash only one ten-thousandth of its power.
• The Crow could not explain its own origins or remember who had stolen the map, but reminded Lin Bai that he owed it two hundred million Vermillion Bird Pills.
• Lin Bai remained in Demon God Ridge to cultivate, seeking Dao Fruit power from demons while making use of the Mountain and Rivers Map’s costly rental period.
• Seven days later, a two-headed serpent at the peak of the First Calamity Dao Realm attacked Lin Bai, but the Mountain and Rivers Map suppressed its strength to below the Quasi-Dao Realm.
• Lin Bai killed the serpent and absorbed its Dao Fruit power, strengthening his First Calamity God Seal.

The Demon Wolf King learned that a human had been killing his subordinates and ordered a search through the Floating Cloud Mountains. Lin Bai, having advanced his First Tribulation God Seal to Minor Accomplishment, discovered the demons closing in and moved on.

• The Demon Wolf King questioned the demons who had fled their mountains and learned that their attacker was a Quasi-Dao Realm human in white.
• The Demon Wolf King ordered his forces to find Lin Bai and vowed to kill him.
• Lin Bai completed two weeks of cultivation and brought his First Tribulation God Seal to Minor Accomplishment.
• The Crow warned Lin Bai that using the God Seal would drain its power and that he would need Dao Fruits to replenish it.
• Lin Bai sensed enemies approaching, hid as their scouts searched the ravine, and realized a demon king was seeking revenge.
• The Crow warned Lin Bai that the demon kings in the depths could be stronger than the Mountain and Rivers Map could suppress, and Lin Bai continued forward.

Lin Bai confronted Demon Wolf King and tested the power of his newly strengthened First Tribulation God Seal against the demons attacking him. He killed one demon and absorbed its Dao Fruit, confirming that the God Seal’s power matched the First Tribulation Dao Realm.

• Demon Wolf King searched the ravine for Lin Bai while Green Ram warned that Eagle King might object to their presence near the Green Vine Mountains.
• Eagle King learned that Demon Wolf King’s forces had gathered near his territory and rushed toward the ravine with a host of demons.
• After hearing from the crow that Demon Wolf King’s cultivation had only recently stabilized, Lin Bai left the ravine and approached the mountain peak.
• Lin Bai admitted to Demon Wolf King that he had killed the leaders of several mountain strongholds, and Demon Wolf King ordered more than twenty First Tribulation Dao Realm demons to attack him.
• Lin Bai activated his First Tribulation God Seal instead of using the Mountain and Rivers Map, killed an attacking demon with his sword, and absorbed its Dao Fruit.

Lin Bai fought through the Demon Wolf King's forces and challenged the third-stage Calamity Dao Realm ruler. He used the Mountain and Rivers Map to weaken the Demon Wolf King, then killed him with the Demon Sword.

• Lin Bai killed the attacking demons and seized a Dao Fruit as the surviving fighters fled to the Demon Wolf King.
• The Demon Wolf King attacked Lin Bai with bronze hammers, and their clash injured Lin Bai but left the Demon Sword unharmed.
• After several hundred rounds, the Demon Wolf King revealed that he had been testing Lin Bai's blade and unleashed his full strength.
• Lin Bai used the Mountain and Rivers Map to lower the Demon Wolf King's cultivation, then distracted him with the Taiji Two Forms Sword Formation.
• Lin Bai pierced the Demon Wolf King's throat with the Demon Sword and killed him.

Lin Bai killed the Demon Wolf King and forced the surviving Ram Demon to surrender two-thirds of his Dao Fruit power. After Eagle King claimed the Floating Cloud Mountains, Lin Bai decided to avoid provoking more demons and return to Silver Moon City once the four great Demon Race clans’ blockade loosened.

• Lin Bai killed the Demon Wolf King, took his Dao Fruit, and demanded two-thirds of the surviving demons’ Dao Fruit power in exchange for their lives.
• Three demons refused and attacked or fled, so Lin Bai killed them; the Ram Demon surrendered two-thirds of his Dao Fruit power and was spared.
• After Lin Bai left, Eagle King arrived, learned the Demon Wolf King was dead, and accepted the Ram Demon’s offer to rule the Floating Cloud and Green Luo Mountains.
• Lin Bai told the Crow he would avoid large-scale fights with the Demon Race and return to Silver Moon City after another half month.

After advancing his God Seal and ending his Mountain and Rivers Map rental, Lin Bai returned to Silver Moon City with the Crow. There he learned that crowds were heading north to the Azure Ruins Battlefield, and the chapter ended with Lin Bai asking Dugu Xu about its dangers.

• Lin Bai spent half a month cultivating in Demon God Ridge, advanced his first God Seal to major mastery, and returned the Mountain and Rivers Map to the Crow rather than incur more debt.
• Lin Bai left Demon God Ridge and heard that the Four Demon Emperors of Barren Mountain Dragon City had searched for something there and fought Hong Ding, who was gravely wounded after a three-day battle.
• Lin Bai and the Crow flew for nine days to Silver Moon City, where they saw many warriors heading north.
• At Microstar Hall, Lin Bai encountered Dugu Xing arguing with Dugu Xu because Dugu Xing wanted to go to the Azure Ruins Battlefield with Big Brother Xiao Long Hai.
• The Crow recognized the Azure Ruins Battlefield as the destination drawing the crowds, and Lin Bai asked Dugu Xu what it was and why he opposed Dugu Xing going there.

Dugu Xu explained the dangers and treasures of the Azure Ruins Battlefield to Lin Bai. After learning that Red Leaf Valley and the second half of the Sword Canon were there, Lin Bai decided to go to the battlefield.

• Dugu Xu warned Lin Bai that the journey to the Azure Ruins Battlefield and the battlefield itself were perilous, with deadly hazards and powerful rivals.
• Dugu Xu explained that the Azure Ruins was a vast burial pit containing the remains and treasures of experts who died in the battle that shattered the Celestial God Tomb.
• Dugu Xu told Lin Bai that the Azure Lotus Pagoda had come from the Azure Ruins Battlefield and that its treasures drew humans, demons, and demonic cultivators there.
• The Crow told Lin Bai that Red Leaf Valley was inside the Azure Ruins Battlefield and that it held the second half of the Sword Canon.
• The Crow urged Lin Bai to enter the battlefield to find treasures and seize Dao Fruits, and Lin Bai decided to go.

Lin Bai went to Greedy Wolf Commerce in Silver Moon City to sell demon beast bones, but Xiao Jiushan and Xu Cheng recognized him as the man who had taken the divine medicine from Dragon King Mountain. Xiao Jiushan confronted Lin Bai over the medicine, and Lin Bai denied knowing anything about it.

• Dugu Xu warned Lin Bai about the dangers of the Azure Ruins Battlefield, then left to stop Dugu Xing from going there.
• Dugu Xu directed Lin Bai to Greedy Wolf Commerce, where Lin Bai planned to sell demon beast bones.
• The Crow demanded a private room, refreshments, the commerce manager, and at least a billion Vermillion Bird Pills, angering the girl in green.
• Xu Cheng recognized Lin Bai as the man who had taken the Yin-Yang Creation Two-Life Flower from Dragon King Mountain and alerted Xiao Jiushan.
• Xiao Jiushan offered Lin Bai a million Vermillion Bird Pills for the divine medicine, but Lin Bai denied knowing about it.
• Xu Cheng accused Lin Bai of ruining his alliance's prospects, and Xiao Jiushan threatened him.

Lin Bai was confronted by Xiao Jiushan at Greedy Wolf Commerce, but Hong Ding arrived and used his reputation to make Xiao Jiushan back down. Lin Bai reunited with Hong Ding and thanked him for separating from him after Barren Mountain Dragon City, which had helped Lin Bai escape the Four Demon Emperors.

• Xiao Jiushan threatened Lin Bai over their dispute at Greedy Wolf Commerce, but Gu Rong arrived with Gu Wen and Hong Ding.
• Hong Ding called Lin Bai an old friend, prompting Xiao Jiushan to abandon the dispute and leave with Xu Cheng and his companions.
• Gu Rong asked Lin Bai how he had provoked Xiao Jiushan, while the Crow imitated Lin Bai and joked about arranging a marriage for him for a fee.
• Lin Bai greeted Gu Wen and Hong Ding, then told Hong Ding he had returned to Silver Moon City that day.
• Lin Bai thanked Hong Ding for sending him away after Barren Mountain Dragon City, and Hong Ding dismissed the favor as minor.

Lin Bai met Hong Ding and Gu Wen at Greedy Wolf Commerce, where they discussed Gu Rong’s planned expedition into the Azure Ruins Battlefield and her need for protective Divine Weapons. The group met the manager, Li Pingyue, to sell demon beast bones, but the Crow’s abrupt demand for ten billion Vermillion Bird Pills left him bewildered.

• Lin Bai explained that he had returned from Demon God Ridge to sell demon beast bones, and Hong Ding invited him to join Gu Rong and Gu Wen.
• Gu Rong bristled when Lin Bai questioned her decision to enter the Azure Ruins Battlefield, while Hong Ding and Gu Wen explained that she would go with the Gu Family’s third group.
• Lin Bai inferred that the Gu Family’s three groups had different roles, and Hong Ding and Gu Wen’s concern for Gu Rong reflected her parents’ deaths and her history of being ostracized.
• Hong Ding and Gu Wen brought Gu Rong to Greedy Wolf Commerce to choose Divine Weapons that could help keep her alive in the battlefield.
• Manager Li Pingyue arrived, and the Crow demanded the ten billion Vermillion Bird Pills prepared for the sale, leaving Li Pingyue staring at it in confusion.

Lin Bai and the Crow negotiated with Li Pingyue at Greedy Wolf Commerce to sell beast bones for one billion Vermillion Bird Pills, while Gu Rong sought an Emperor Artifact sword. Li Pingyue initially doubted their claim, but the first Storage Bags impressed him, and the Crow revealed they had dozens more.

• The Crow demanded that Li Pingyue prepare one billion Vermillion Bird Pills before he showed the beast bones, while Lin Bai tried to keep the negotiations civil.
• Gu Rong asked Li Pingyue to help her purchase an Emperor Artifact sword, and Li Pingyue agreed.
• Hong Ding advised Lin Bai to let Li Pingyue inspect the bones before Greedy Wolf Commerce gathered the pills, but the Crow refused until Lin Bai guaranteed payment.
• The Crow gave Lin Bai ten Storage Bags, and Lin Bai handed them to Li Pingyue for inspection.
• Li Pingyue was stunned by the bones' apparent value, and the Crow claimed he still had dozens more Storage Bags.

Lin Bai sold a vast collection of demon beast remains to Greedy Wolf Commerce and said he planned to travel to the Azure Ruins Battlefield. The Crow revealed that his Storage Ring might even contain a dragon skeleton, leaving Lin Bai increasingly curious about the Crow’s past.

• Lin Bai confirmed that Greedy Wolf Commerce should prepare Vermillion Bird Pills for the demon beast remains, and Li Pingyue took the Storage Bags to arrange the payment and bring Gu Rong’s Divine Armory Catalog.
• After Li Pingyue left, Gu Rong, Gu Wen, and Hong Ding were astonished by the value of the remains, while Lin Bai explained that the Crow had collected most of them over many years.
• The Crow told Lin Bai that he also had a dragon skeleton in his Storage Ring, though he had eaten all the dragon meat.
• Lin Bai claimed that he had found the demon beast remains after a battle between merchant caravans and martial artist alliance groups, and Gu Rong accepted that he did not want to explain further.
• Lin Bai declined Gu Wen’s offer of a position with the Gu family and said he planned to go to the Azure Ruins Battlefield.
• Gu Rong warned that Lin Bai’s cultivation was too low for the Azure Ruins Battlefield, but Hong Ding and Gu Wen defended Lin Bai’s abilities.

Hong Ding arranged for Lin Bai to travel to the Azure Ruins Battlefield with Gu Rong’s group and asked him to protect her. Li Pingyue delivered the Crow’s billion Vermillion Bird Pills and collected the demon beast bones, unaware they belonged to the Crow.

• Hong Ding proposed that Lin Bai accompany Gu Rong’s group to the Azure Ruins Battlefield, and Gu Wen agreed.
• Hong Ding privately asked Lin Bai to keep Gu Rong safe in return for his help in Barren Mountain Dragon City, and Lin Bai accepted.
• Li Pingyue returned with a Storage Bag of Vermillion Bird Pills, which the Crow inspected and accepted.
• The Crow handed Li Pingyue dozens of Storage Bags of demon beast bones, and Li Pingyue confirmed they were worth more than a billion Vermillion Bird Pills.
• Li Pingyue praised Lin Bai for hiding the valuable bones on his spirit pet, not realizing they had belonged to the Crow all along.

Gu Rong chose the Frost Spirit Sword from the Greedy Wolf Commerce catalog, and Hong Ding offered to pay for it. Afterward, Hong Ding brought Lin Bai to his courtyard and offered him a collection of swordsmanship manuals; Lin Bai had yet to choose any.

• Gu Rong admired the Frost Spirit Sword, but its price of over two hundred million Vermillion Bird Pills far exceeded her savings.
• Hong Ding offered to cover the cost, and Li Pingyue fetched the Frost Spirit Sword in an Iron Box.
• Lin Bai and Gu Rong left the Greedy Wolf Commerce after completing their business, while Gu Rong and Gu Wen returned to the Gu family to prepare for the Azure Ruins Battlefield.
• Hong Ding took Lin Bai to his secluded courtyard in Silver Moon City and explained that he wanted to thank him for accompanying Gu Rong.
• Hong Ding brought out more than a dozen swordsmanship manuals and invited Lin Bai to choose several.

After studying Hong Ding’s Sword Sutras for five days, Lin Bai began to question whether his approach to sword cultivation had neglected the sword heart and deeper principles. Hong Ding offered guidance but ended by asking whether Lin Bai’s former master had taught him that the Heavenly Dao and all things had flaws.

• Hong Ding let Lin Bai study his collection of swordsmanship books and scrolls, which Gu Rong had previously struggled to comprehend.
• Lin Bai spent five days reading every Sword Sutra repeatedly and gained new insight into the sword path.
• Reflecting on the words “Mortal, Spirit, Dao,” Lin Bai questioned whether his past cultivation had focused too heavily on techniques and taken the wrong path.
• Hong Ding told Lin Bai that cultivation and martial arts progressed from simple to complex and asked why different people wielded the same technique with different power.
• Lin Bai answered that cultivation differed from person to person, and Hong Ding asked whether Lin Bai’s former master had taught him that the Heavenly Dao and all things had flaws.

Hong Ding explained to Lin Bai that sword techniques always had flaws and that true cultivation lay in the heart rather than fixed forms. Lin Bai understood his words, advanced toward the Dao Realm, comprehended the sword classics, and refined a sword heart.

• Hong Ding told Lin Bai that every sword technique had openings and that true martial arts could not be fully recorded in writing.
• Hong Ding used the sunset and green mountains to explain that cultivation depended on the heart, and Lin Bai reflected on his words until his understanding cleared.
• Lin Bai's cultivation advanced closer to the Dao Realm, and he realized that cultivators should cultivate the heart rather than become trapped in sword forms.
• Lin Bai comprehended the sword techniques and classics on the table, including the South Clarity Dao Lord's sword classic, and his Devouring Sword Soul released a powerful sword intent.
• Hong Ding sensed Lin Bai's sword intent and exclaimed that Lin Bai had refined a sword heart.

Lin Bai refined a sword heart and gained the ability to see flaws in the sword techniques he had learned. As Ling Tianzi and the old madam discussed the danger surrounding Lin Bai, Lin Bai began to understand his future path in the sword way.

• Hong Ding realized Lin Bai’s sword talent, rather than his own teachings, had allowed Lin Bai to refine a sword heart.
• Ling Tianzi and the old madam discussed Lin Bai’s ordeal, the threat from the Giant God Race, and their lack of a countermeasure.
• Lin Bai recognized that his sword heart let him see flaws in the South Clarity Dao Lord’s sword technique and in Lin Duo’s Dragon Slayer Swordplay.
• Lin Bai saw that his Zhu Xian Sword was full of flaws while his Sever the Roots Sword had nearly reached minor perfection.
• Lin Bai reviewed the sword techniques he had learned and began to understand the path he should take in sword cultivation.

After several days of cultivating his sword heart in Hong Ding’s courtyard, Lin Bai prepared to travel to the Azure Ruins Battlefield with Gu Rong. He joined the Gu family’s expedition and was left to accompany the isolated Gu Rong, who warned him she would not have time to look after him.

• Lin Bai cultivated his sword heart and concluded that he needed to travel and gain experience to deepen his understanding.
• Hong Ding told Lin Bai that the Gu family had arranged for him to travel to the Azure Ruins Battlefield with Gu Rong, and asked him to look after her.
• Lin Bai declined Hong Ding’s offer of anything he might need and continued cultivating until dawn.
• Lin Bai and Hong Ding went to the Gu family plaza, where three flying boats and a group of young disciples were assembled.
• Hong Ding gave Gu Rong a map of the Azure Ruins and urged her to be careful, while Gu Rong warned Lin Bai that she would not have much time to look after him.

Lin Bai traveled with Gu Rong and the Gu Family toward the Azure Ruins Battlefield, learning about the dangers ahead and the prominent young disciples aboard the vessels. After half a month on the journey, they were summoned to a meeting as they neared their destination.

• Hong Ding told Gu Rong to trust Lin Bai and rely on him if danger arose in the Azure Ruins Battlefield.
• Lin Bai boarded the Gu Family vessel and exchanged wary, respectful glances with a powerful Five Tribulation Dao Realm man on another ship.
• During the journey, Lin Bai learned that Gu Yule, Gu Gongyu, and Gu Siling were the Gu Family's three leading young disciples.
• The Gu Family vessels crossed a dangerous primeval forest, where elders killed demon birds that attacked them.
• A servant summoned Lin Bai and Gu Rong to a meeting with Elder Gu Tong two or three days before their arrival, and Gu Rong passed Lin Bai without greeting him.