Recaps

Bai Yifei pursued Li Yuanzong to avenge his master, while Lin Bai drew Wu Xiu away from the World Sealing Formation’s Formation Eye to keep him from interfering. Wu Xiu chose to pursue Lin Bai for his son's murder, and the two faced a life-and-death battle at sea beyond Storm City.

• Bai Yifei, despite being wounded by Li Yuanzong, charged after him to clear his master's name, while Lin Bai predicted Bai Yifei would win easily.
• Wu Xiu revealed his grudge over his son's death and attacked Lin Bai, who countered with his sword formation and Five Elements Dao Body before luring Wu Xiu away from the Formation Eye.
• Lin Bai urged Wu Xiu to avenge his son, enraging him into abandoning the Formation Eye and pursuing Lin Bai outside the Underground Palace.
• Qiao Mo, Zhou Xinjin, and the others killed the Dao God Realm martial artists accompanying Wu Xiu and Li Yuanzong, while Storm City continued to be ravaged by battles between its factions.
• Lin Bai fled out over the sea, but Wu Xiu blocked his path with a giant palm that shattered space, leaving Lin Bai with no choice but to fight.

Lin Bai fought Wu Xiu while still badly injured and trapped him inside the Heaven Swallowing Domain, where he nearly crushed Wu Xiu with Devouring Power. Wu Xiu escaped by unleashing a Talisman Treasure that split the domain, and he then attacked Lin Bai again with its sword form.

• Wu Xiu overwhelmed the injured Lin Bai with his Great Purity Dao Fruit and battered him with a powerful punch.
• Lin Bai opened the Heaven Swallowing Domain, where his attacks and control over the space weakened Wu Xiu and trapped him in a giant palm.
• Wu Xiu used the Grand Yi Talisman Treasure, Azure Origin Sword, to break the palm and cleave apart Lin Bai's Dao Domain.
• Lin Bai asked about the talisman, and Wu Xiu identified it as an Innate Dao Sect Talisman Treasure before transforming it into a sword and striking at Lin Bai again.

Lin Bai used the Profound Yellow Talisman to counter Wu Xiu’s Grand Yi Talisman Treasure and poured his spiritual power, pills, vital blood, and Soul Power into it to unleash a deadly lightning strike. He killed Wu Xiu but collapsed on the sea, nearly drained of life.

• Wu Xiu’s Grand Yi Talisman Treasure transformed into a sword and trapped Lin Bai, who answered with the Profound Yellow Talisman.
• The golden lightning from Lin Bai’s talisman knocked Wu Xiu’s sword away, and both talismans returned to their owners.
• Wu Xiu attacked again and taunted Lin Bai, while Lin Bai realized he could not afford to let the fight drag on.
• Lin Bai overcharged the Profound Yellow Talisman with his spiritual power and pills until it began consuming his vital blood and Soul Power.
• Lin Bai unleashed a mountain-sized bolt of golden lightning that blasted away Wu Xiu’s sword and turned Wu Xiu’s body and soul to ashes.
• Lin Bai collapsed onto the sea and coughed up blood after the talisman nearly drained him dry.

Lin Bai recovered, claimed Wu Xiu’s Grand Yi Talisman Treasure, and took the treasures and twenty thousand immortal jades from Wu Xiu’s Storage Bag before returning to Storm City. There, Bai Yifei defeated Li Yuanzong after finally resolving to kill his former brother and cleanse the sect of its traitor.

• Lin Bai examined the cracked Profound Yellow Talisman, then searched the seabed and claimed Wu Xiu’s Grand Yi Talisman Treasure and Storage Bag.
• Lin Bai imprinted the talisman treasure as his own and found twenty thousand immortal jades and other valuables in Wu Xiu’s Storage Bag.
• Lin Bai flew toward Storm City, wondering how the battles there had ended.
• Bai Yifei shattered Li Yuanzong’s sword attack and struck him down with a single punch after deciding Li Yuanzong would not turn back.

Bai Yifei killed Li Yuanzong after his former brother refused to return to the Tianshui Sect, then joined Lin Bai back in Storm City. Lin Bai entered the fight against Qi Kun alongside Bao Qi, aiming to restrain him so Bao Qi could deliver the killing blow.

• Li Yuanzong pleaded for his life, but Bai Yifei killed him and burned his body to ashes.
• Lin Bai arrived and urged Bai Yifei to put aside his grief and return to the battle in Storm City.
• Bai Yifei headed for the Qin family's Underground Palace to protect the Formation Eye while Lin Bai went to help Bao Qi fight Qi Kun.
• Qi Kun questioned Lin Bai about Wu Xiu, and Lin Bai calmly said that Wu Xiu was dead.
• Lin Bai and Bao Qi agreed that Lin Bai would restrain Qi Kun while Bao Qi prepared a Dao Art to kill him.
• Lin Bai attacked Qi Kun with his Azure Lotus Sword Intent, sending an enormous azure sword shadow toward him.

Lin Bai and Bao Qi fought Qi Kun, a spy within Tianshui Sect, and Bao Qi crippled him with Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sea. As Lin Bai ordered Qi Kun’s execution, Black Demon Flame appeared on the Water Mirror Sea’s World Sealing Formation, alarming Bao Qi.

• Lin Bai wounded Qi Kun and drew his attention while Bao Qi prepared Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sea.
• Bao Qi’s sword art overwhelmed Qi Kun, shattered his meridians, bones, and Dao Fruit, and left him barely alive.
• Bao Qi questioned Qi Kun about other Heaven and Earth Gate spies, but Qi Kun threatened Tianshui Sect’s disciples and refused to help.
• Lin Bai ordered Bao Qi to kill Qi Kun, then Black Demon Flame appeared atop the World Sealing Formation.
• Bao Qi explained that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s Black Demon Flame could burn through gaps and had once killed hundreds of Grand Luo Dao Fruit realm experts.

Lin Bai learned that Heaven and Earth Gate was using Black Demon Flame to burn through the Water Mirror Sea World Sealing Formation, forcing Tianshui Sect to prepare for a decisive battle. He left Storm City with his allies to return to the sect, while the Qin Lineage stayed behind to guard the Formation Eye.

• Bao Qi warned Lin Bai that the Black Demon Flame could destroy formations and would likely breach the Water Mirror Sea World Sealing Formation within a day.
• Lin Bai returned to the Qin Family Underground Palace, joined Bai Yifei, Qiao Mo, Qin Yao, and the others, and helped defeat the Hundred Victories Pavilion warriors after Qi Kun, Wu Xiu, and Li Yuanzong died.
• Lin Bai told his allies that Heaven and Earth Gate's assault meant they had to return to Tianshui Sect and prepare for a decisive battle, while the Ye Siblings and several Formation Daoists reinforced the Formation Eye's defenses.
• Lin Bai told the Qin Family Head that Tianshui Sect was confident and asked the Qin Lineage to guard Storm City's Formation Eye, concealing his doubts to keep the family from defecting.
• Lin Bai left Storm City with Qin Yao, Qiao Mo, and the others, leaving the Qin and Zhao Lineages' battle unresolved.

Lin Bai and the other Tianshui Sect disciples hurried back to Sea Heart Island after the Harbinger Bird summoned the sect to prepare for a crisis. As the Heaven and Earth Gate prepared to invade, its Master offered bounties for Tianshui Sect disciples and made Lin Bai a prime target.

• The Harbinger Bird flew across the Water Mirror Sea as Sect Master Chu Xi ordered all Tianshui Sect disciples to gather at Sea Heart Island and suspended the sect’s missions.
• Lin Bai, Bai Yifei, Qin Yao, and their companions set out for Tianshui Sect, joining disciples returning from across the Water Mirror Sea.
• Ma Qiuming learned that the Heaven and Earth Gate Master had used the Black Demon Flame and ordered the Heaven and Earth Gate forces in the Water Mirror Sea to gather at the Blackwater Archipelago.
• The Heaven and Earth Gate Master offered contribution points and immortal jades for killing Tianshui Sect disciples, including ten thousand immortal jades for Lin Bai.
• The Heaven and Earth Gate Master ordered Jade Slips listing Tianshui Sect targets to be sent into the sect’s mountain gate, offering attackers the choice to join the Heaven and Earth Gate or leave Tianshui Sect.

Lin Bai returned to Sea Heart Island as the Tianshui Sect prepared for war with the Heaven and Earth Gate, then joined the elders’ heated debate over how to respond. The arrival of Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm ancestor Zhang Bailiu silenced the hall, leaving the sect’s next move pending.

• Lin Bai returned from Storm City, sent Bai Yifei, Zhou Xinjin, and the others to treat their injuries, and went to meet Sect Master Chu Xi.
• Lin Bai entered Overturned Water Hall, where hundreds of Tianshui Sect elders debated the looming battle with the Heaven and Earth Gate.
• The elders split between those urging war and those hoping to make peace, while Chu Xi watched them argue and offered Lin Bai melon seeds.
• Zhang Bailiu entered the hall and suppressed the argument with his Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm aura.
• Chu Xi identified Zhang Bailiu to Lin Bai as one of the Tianshui Sect’s five Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm martial artists.

Zhang Bailiu revealed that Tianshui Sect had long prepared for an inevitable war with the Heaven and Earth Gate, then rallied the elders to defend the sect. He ordered them to assemble at Sea Heart Island and opened the sect’s Treasure Pavilion at half price as the enemy’s arrival drew near.

• Zhang Bailiu arrived at Overturned Water Hall and revealed himself as Sect Master Chu Xi’s master.
• Zhang Bailiu explained that Tianshui Sect had anticipated a conflict with the Heaven and Earth Gate and that the battle could no longer be avoided.
• The elders, including those from the Pacifist Faction, pledged to stay and fight for Tianshui Sect.
• Zhang Bailiu ordered the elders to assemble at Sea Heart Island, warning that the Heaven and Earth Gate could arrive within one to three days.
• Zhang Bailiu made the Treasure Pavilion’s goods available to sect members at half price and announced rewards for killing Heaven and Earth Gate warriors.

Lin Bai learned that Zhang Bailiu had approved his alliance with Prince Chen and that the Tianshui Sect would fight the Heaven and Earth Gate to the death. As the enemy army breached the World Sealing Formation, Fan Chun sent a message urging Tianshui Sect disciples to abandon Lin Bai or betray their fellow disciples.

• Zhang Bailiu told Lin Bai he did not blame him for provoking the Heaven and Earth Gate and revealed that he had directed Chu Xi to accept Lin Bai’s proposal.
• Lin Bai vowed to stand with the Tianshui Sect, then joined Qin Yao, Qiao Mo, and the others on Bright Moon Island as they prepared for war.
• Zhang Bailiu announced the Tianshui Sect’s decision to fight and offered its disciples supplies and rewards for killing Heaven and Earth Gate martial artists.
• After treating his injuries for a day, Lin Bai saw the Heaven and Earth Gate’s warships break through the World Sealing Formation and spread Jade Slips across the Water Mirror Sea.
• Lin Bai read Fan Chun’s message threatening those who stayed with the Tianshui Sect and offering a welcome to anyone who betrayed a fellow disciple.

Lin Bai arrived at Sea Heart Island as Tianshui Sect prepared its repaired defenses, only to face rumors blaming him for the crisis and calls to hand him over. He identified suspected Heaven and Earth Gate spies among the agitators and sent Bai Yifei to deal with them, while Li Juenian questioned whether Bai Yifei would truly have become Holy Son.

• Lin Bai reached Sea Heart Island, where the defensive array had been partially repaired and a million Tianshui Sect disciples had gathered.
• Outer disciples insulted Lin Bai and urged Tianshui Sect to surrender him after reading Jade Slips blaming him for the calamity.
• Qiao Mo brought Lin Bai healing pills and reassured him, while Yi Zien and the others joined him at the mountain gate.
• Lin Bai said spies were likely stirring up the disciples and pointed out more than three hundred suspected agitators.
• Bai Yifei led Zhou Xinjin, the Five Immortals of East Isle, and his followers to deal with the agitators without starting a fight.
• Yi Zien praised Bai Yifei's loyalty, but Li Juenian said he would not have submitted to Bai Yifei if Bai had become Holy Son.

Bai Yifei subdued troublemakers at Sea Heart Island as Tianshui Sect’s leaders gathered to face the Heaven and Earth Gate fleet. After the two sects exchanged accusations over years of bloodshed, the Heaven and Earth Gate Master ordered an attack on Tianshui Sect.

• Li Juenian argued that Bai Yifei lacked the strength to qualify as Tianshui Sect’s Sacred Son, and Lin Bai reflected on Bai Yifei’s understanding of the position.
• Bai Yifei took the troublemakers Lin Bai had identified into custody and restored order at Sea Heart Island’s mountain gate.
• The Grand Yi Elders, Sect Master Chu Xi, the Grand Elder, and Li Zai'en arrived above the mountain gate as the sea and sky grew turbulent.
• The Heaven and Earth Gate Master arrived with several thousand battleships and accused Lin Bai of killing its disciples.
• The Grand Elder answered by recounting the Heaven and Earth Gate’s past killings and mistreatment of Tianshui Sect disciples, stirring their anger.
• The Heaven and Earth Gate Master ordered his forces to attack, and its experts and disciples charged Tianshui Sect.

The Tianshui Sect and Heaven and Earth Gate began a massive battle across the Water Mirror Sea, while their Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm elders fought above the clouds. Lin Bai joined the fighting with his companions and killed a Heaven and Earth Gate warrior who tried to ambush him.

• The Heaven and Earth Gate and Tianshui Sect disciples clashed over the Water Mirror Sea as their Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm elders battled above the clouds.
• After more than one hundred thousand disciples had fallen, Li Juenian, Yi Zien, Bai Yifei, and Lin Bai led their companions into the battle.
• Lin Bai warned his companions to value survival, then flew toward the battlefield with Qin Yao, Qiao Mo, and the others.
• A Heaven and Earth Gate warrior ambushed Lin Bai, but Lin Bai dodged his sword strike and killed him with a kick before charging onward.

Lin Bai fought his way through the Water Mirror Sea battlefield as the Heaven and Earth Gate focused its attacks on him. He reached the central fighting line, where his sword formation rallied the Tianshui Sect, and the Heaven and Earth Gate Master ordered a greater force to kill him.

• Lin Bai killed the Heaven and Earth Gate attackers who ambushed him with lightning, arrows, and brute force, then slaughtered hundreds more who surrounded him.
• Qin Yao, Qiao Mo, Fang Yuanshu, and the Ye Siblings moved to support Lin Bai, but he told them to split up and protect themselves before charging away alone.
• Lin Bai fought through the pursuing Heaven and Earth Gate disciples and reached the fiercest part of the battlefield.
• Lin Bai unleashed the Heaven's Will Four Symbols Sword Formation, cutting down hundreds of enemies and helping the Tianshui Sect disciples stabilize their line and regain their fighting spirit.
• The Heaven and Earth Gate Master saw Lin Bai halt his army's advance and ordered hundreds of Dao God Peak martial artists to attack him, promising a heavy reward for his death.

The Heaven and Earth Gate sent Elder Wan Yu, a Middle-Grade Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm martial artist, to kill Lin Bai on the battlefield. Lin Bai used the Yellow Springs Demon Bone to meet Wan Yu’s attack, but Wan Yu unleashed a seven-star Dao Art that threatened both Lin Bai and the Water Mirror Sea.

• The Heaven and Earth Gate Master ordered Wan Yu to bring back Lin Bai’s head after his fighters failed to stop Lin Bai.
• Wan Yu appeared on the battlefield and used a Gilded Bell to interrupt Lin Bai’s escape and injure him with its sound waves.
• Wan Yu attacked Lin Bai with a powerful punch, and Lin Bai activated the Yellow Springs Demon Bone and Five Elements Dao Body to counter it.
• Lin Bai’s punch forced Wan Yu back, but Lin Bai was injured while Wan Yu remained unharmed.
• Wan Yu recognized the Yellow Springs Demon Bone and cast the Seven Stars Po Jun Dao Art, sending seven meteors toward Lin Bai and the Water Mirror Sea.

Lin Bai shattered Wan Yu’s Seven Stars Po Jun meteor with the Grand Yi Talisman Treasure and severed Wan Yu’s arm, but exhausted all his spiritual power. The Heaven and Earth Gate Master then sent three Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm experts to kill Lin Bai.

• Wan Yu’s meteor bore down on Lin Bai while Qiao Mo and Qin Yao rushed to save him.
• Lin Bai used the Grand Yi Talisman Treasure to destroy the meteor and send the golden sword talisman at Wan Yu.
• Wan Yu blocked the talisman briefly but lost an arm before retreating, while Lin Bai’s spiritual power was drained.
• The Heaven and Earth Gate Master told Wan Yu not to blame himself and ordered Jiang Sun, Ling Que, and Chen Wuqin to bring back Lin Bai’s head.

After Lin Bai exhausted his power fighting Wan Yu, three Grand Yi Elders pursued him and nearly killed him before Zhang Bailiu intervened. Zhang Bailiu clashed with a Grand Luo Dao Fruit expert from Heaven and Earth Gate, and both left the Water Mirror Sea to fight elsewhere.

• Lin Bai retreated from the battlefield after using the Grand Yi Talisman Treasure, but Jiang Sun, Ling Que, and Chen Wuqin found him and gave chase.
• The three Grand Yi Elders struck Lin Bai down, breaking free the Yellow Springs Demon Bone and leaving him gravely wounded.
• Zhang Bailiu arrived, crushed the three elders' bodies, and seized their souls, but a Heaven and Earth Gate Grand Luo Dao Fruit expert shattered his grasp.
• Zhang Bailiu and the Gray-Robed Old Man exchanged a sword strike and a punch that shook the Water Mirror Sea, then agreed to continue their fight elsewhere.
• Zhang Bailiu told Lin Bai to return and heal before vanishing to pursue the Gray-Robed Old Man.

After recovering from his wounds, Lin Bai learned that the Qian Family was supplying Heaven and Earth Gate with enough resources to sustain a prolonged war, while Tianshui Sect risked running out of supplies. He resolved to tell the sect that striking Heaven and Earth Gate’s supply depot at the Black Water Sea Region might be their only chance, despite its Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm guard.

• Zhang Bailiu saved Lin Bai, who returned to Tianshui Sect, gathered healing pills, and recovered on Bright Moon Island.
• Crow returned and told Lin Bai that the Qian Family was transporting abundant pills, weapons, and other supplies to Heaven and Earth Gate.
• Crow explained that Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm experts guarded the supply caravans and that Heaven and Earth Gate stored the supplies in the Black Water Sea Region.
• Lin Bai concluded that Tianshui Sect might be defeated if the war dragged on and proposed destroying or seizing Heaven and Earth Gate’s supplies.
• Lin Bai set out to inform the sect, while the day’s fighting ended with about 150,000 Tianshui Sect disciples and 70,000 to 80,000 Heaven and Earth Gate disciples dead.
• On his way to Overturned Water Hall, Lin Bai saw Li Zai'en and several Great Purity Dao Fruit elders preparing the Water Mirror Sea’s defenses.

After Tianshui Sect suffered enormous losses in the first day of battle, Lin Bai proposed forcing Heaven and Earth Gate to withdraw by cutting off its supplies. He asked Sect Master Chu Xi how long Tianshui Sect’s own reserves could last, and she ordered the Grand Elder to answer.

• The Third Elder reported that Tianshui Sect had lost about 150,000 disciples and suffered roughly 400,000 wounded, while Heaven and Earth Gate had lost around 70,000 to 80,000.
• The elders debated whether to fight Heaven and Earth Gate directly or delay it until its forces withdrew, and Sect Master Chu Xi asked Lin Bai for a strategy.
• Lin Bai said Heaven and Earth Gate’s distant march made it vulnerable to supply shortages and proposed cutting off its material supplies in the Water Mirror Sea.
• Lin Bai declined to explain his information before the full assembly, so Sect Master Chu Xi dismissed the other elders and kept trusted confidants in Overturned Water Hall.
• Lin Bai asked how quickly Tianshui Sect was consuming pills and weapons, and Sect Master Chu Xi told the Grand Elder to disclose the sect’s wartime reserves.

Lin Bai learned that the Tianshui Sect had spent ninety million pills in one day but could sustain that rate for twenty days. He warned that the Heaven and Earth Gate was replenishing its supplies through the Qian family and proposed cutting off its supply route in the Water Mirror Sea.

• The Grand Elder told Lin Bai that the Tianshui Sect had stockpiled pills and divine weapons for ten thousand years in preparation for war.
• The Grand Elder reported that the sect had consumed about ninety million pills in the day's battle, including fifty million healing pills and thirty million offensive pills.
• The Grand Elder said the Tianshui Sect's pill reserves could last twenty days, prompting Lin Bai to recognize why some elders had favored delaying the fight.
• Lin Bai revealed that the Qian family was supplying the Heaven and Earth Gate with pills and divine weapons, and that the supplies were stored in the Black Water Sea Region.
• Lin Bai told the elders that cutting off the Heaven and Earth Gate's supply route would force it to withdraw within a few days.

Lin Bai reported the Heaven and Earth Gate’s supply base in the Black Water Sea Region, and the Tianshui Sect planned to repair its formation, investigate the region, and hold the front. As the battle resumed, Lin Bai concealed his identity to hunt enemy disciples for immortal jade rewards.

• Lin Bai told the Tianshui Sect elders that the Qian family was supplying the Heaven and Earth Gate through a guarded storehouse in the Black Water Sea Region, and suggested attacking it if the sect was driven to desperation.
• The Tianshui Sect decided to repair the Water Mirror Sea World Sealing Formation, secretly investigate the Black Water Sea Region, and continue defending the Water Mirror Sea.
• The Heaven and Earth Gate used spies to launch a surprise attack on Sea Heart Island, but Elder Li Zai'en and other elders’ reinforced defenses repelled it.
• The Tianshui Sect and the Heaven and Earth Gate resumed their fierce battle, with disciples returning from across the Chu Kingdom to join the fighting.
• Lin Bai disguised himself with a Rose Mask and hunted peak Dao God Realm opponents, targeting Liu Chuan for the five thousand immortal jade reward.

Lin Bai hunted Heaven and Earth Gate Core Disciples for Immortal Jade as the Tianshui Sect suffered mounting casualties in the war. The chapter ended with Qian Haiwei arriving to offer the sect a wide range of supplies and hired fighters in exchange for payment.

• Lin Bai searched the battlefield for Liu Chuan but failed to find him before the first day's fighting ended.
• The Grand Elder reported heavy casualties and told the sect that its supplies could sustain a hundred days of battle, though he privately disclosed reserves were far lower.
• On the third day, Lin Bai killed two Heaven and Earth Gate Core Disciples, earning ten thousand Immortal Jades.
• The Grand Elder reported that nearly four hundred thousand Tianshui Sect disciples had died in three days, while the Heaven and Earth Gate had lost nearly three hundred thousand.
• Li Zai'en announced that the Qian Family had sent a messenger, and Qian Haiwei offered to supply the Tianshui Sect with resources and hired forces.

Second Master of the Qian family offered to supply Tianshui Sect with pills, medicines, and Divine Weapons at a ten-percent discount, but the sect declined because its reserves could still last. The next morning, Lin Bai returned to battle and hunted Heaven and Earth Gate's Core Disciples.

• Second Master of the Qian family offered Tianshui Sect discounted supplies and said the Qian family could obtain anything for a reasonable price.
• Lin Bai asked whether Tianshui Sect could pay the Qian family to betray Heaven and Earth Gate, but Second Master said the time had not yet come.
• The Grand Elder declined to buy supplies, and Li Zai'en escorted Second Master of the Qian family away.
• On the fourth day of fighting, Lin Bai wore the Rose Mask and searched the battlefield for Heaven and Earth Gate's Core Disciples.
• Lin Bai regretted killing so many Heaven and Earth Gate martial artists during their competition and discourse on the Dao, since they might have become targets on the battlefield.

Lin Bai tracked Liu Chuan to an isolated island and discovered that the Heaven and Earth Gate had laid a trap there for him. He entered the island and was enclosed by its linked arrays, while the waiting disciples prepared to attack.

• Lin Bai found Liu Chuan on the battlefield and wounded him with a powerful sword strike, forcing Liu Chuan to flee.
• Lin Bai chased Liu Chuan to an island and used his Asura Dharma Eyes to discover its arrays and the Heaven and Earth Gate disciples hiding within.
• Lin Bai identified Liu Chuan, Murong Tian, Chen Lang, Zhang Xuanqi, and more than a dozen Core Disciples among the concealed group, then entered the island.
• Murong Tian and Chen Lang activated the island's arrays, trapping Lin Bai inside as they emerged and taunted him.