Recaps

Prince Liang insisted that Li Guxian be investigated as a priority, arguing that her spotless history and influence in Ke Province could conceal a connection to the Four Gloom Demon Palace. Lin Bai defended her, while the Marquis and Zhu Mo debated the investigation, leaving Lin Bai troubled by the suspicion against someone he trusted.

• Prince Liang named Li Guxian one of the most important targets for investigation.
• Lin Bai recalled Li Guxian's imperial lineage, her persecution by the Blood God Sect, and her role in helping destroy it, and rejected the idea that she was a hidden agent.
• Zhu Mo noted the Marquis's close history with Lin Baixian and asked about the Chu Emperor's view of her, while the Marquis said her background appeared spotless.
• Prince Liang argued that Lin Baixian's clean record and her ability to rally Ke Province made her suspicious, and warned that the province might already be under the Four Gloom Demon Palace's influence.
• The Marquis told Zhu Mo to stop investigating him and said Li Guxian would not be satisfied whatever the investigation found.
• Lin Bai remained unwilling to believe Lin Baixian was a hidden agent and worried that investigating her would hurt the Marquis.

Lin Bai took three Chen Family martial artists into custody under an order backed by the Zhao Xing Office, then led them to a private residence as he pursued suspected remnants of the Four Gloom Demon Palace. Chen Baixin realized the order came from the Chen Family and warned his clan to keep out of trouble.

• Chen Yule summoned Chen Baixin, Chen Yuanshan, and Chen Hai to meet Lin Bai, who identified them by name.
• Lin Bai ordered the Blood Dragon Legion commanders to escort the three away, and Chen Baixin stopped resisting after realizing the Chen Family had authorized the order.
• Lin Bai said the three were unlikely to return, while Chen Baixin inferred they were suspected of ties to the Four Gloom Demon Palace.
• Lin Bai ordered Yi Rongyi to take him to the private residence, and Yi Rongyi led him there with the three captives.
• A middle-aged woman warned the Chen Family to behave themselves, saying Yi Rong could not protect them if they caused a major disaster.

Lin Bai and the Blood Dragon Legion raided a private residence suspected of sheltering Nine Underworlds Demon Palace martial artists. They captured four outsiders and sent them to the Zhao Xing Office's Inferno Prison, while their search found no hidden Holy Sons or Holy Maidens.

• Lin Bai surrounded Chen Baixin's residence with the Blood Dragon Legion and ordered Chen Baixin to open the gate.
• The four residents claimed they came from the One Night Divine Sect's territory to celebrate the Chu Emperor's birthday and denied ties to the Four Gloom Demon Palace.
• When Lin Bai mentioned the Zhao Xing Office, the four tried to flee, but the Blood Dragon Legion captured and beat them into serious injuries.
• Lin Bai ordered the four and Chen Yuanshan taken to the Zhao Xing Office's Inferno Prison for questioning.
• The Blood Dragon Legion searched the residence but found no letters, hidden chambers, or other martial artists.

The Zhao Xing Office completed its first searches for the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, capturing several suspects but finding no trace of the Holy Son or Holy Maiden. Lin Bai was exposed as a Palace disciple and sent to purgatory, while Princess Leping, Tang Weixian remained under surveillance.

• Tang Wei revealed that she had grown up in the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and used a secret technique to disguise herself as a child before entering the Tianshui Sect.
• Bai Yifei explained that the Zhao Xing Office had evidence against some suspects but only suspected Princess Leping, Tang Weixian, and was monitoring her estate.
• Li Gu and his team searched Lin Bai's private estate, captured several remnants, and found no clues about the Holy Son or Holy Maiden.
• Lin Bai refused to reveal anything about the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, and Huo Xia ordered Chu Tinghan's soldiers to take her to purgatory.
• The investigators exchanged their lists and concluded that the first round of searches had yielded no useful information about the Palace's leadership or headquarters.

Lin Bai and Dongyu helped Emperor Chu and the Eighth Prince prepare to blame the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and Prince Chen for abducting the Holy Son and Holy Daughter. The State of Chu planned to announce the confessions alongside Prince Chen’s border actions, while Lin Bai continued searching suspects’ residences.

• Lin Bai sent Bai Yifei and the nine commanders to search the private residences again and went to Prince Chen’s Residence.
• Emperor Chu told the Eighth Prince that captured Nine Underworlds Demon Palace branch leaders and elders had confessed to abducting the Holy Son and Holy Daughter.
• Dongyu reviewed the confessions and found them convincing, though they did not explain why the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and Prince Chen had joined forces.
• Dongyu urged Emperor Chu to announce the abduction and implicate the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and Prince Chen, turning suspicion away from the State of Chu.
• Emperor Chu agreed to recommend announcing the border incident, and he said the Emperor would reveal the abduction’s details at noon.
• Lin Bai exchanged search lists with Chu Tinghan and began another round of investigations with Bai Yifei and the nine commanders.

After Chu publicly blamed the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and Northern Region martial artists for abducting the Holy Son and Holy Daughter, news of the Demon Palace spread across the imperial capital. Xing Sixian realized that Chu’s announcement had changed their plans and feared the capital was no longer safe.

• Lin Bai heard that the Chu royal family had announced the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s involvement in the abduction, and the news was spreading through the marketplace.
• He Qiyun rushed to Princess Leping’s Residence and told Xing Sixian that Chu had exposed the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s existence.
• Xing Sixian realized Chu had deliberately dragged the hidden Demon Palace into the open and warned that the capital was no longer safe.
• He Qiyun proposed informing the Devil Palace and leaving the capital, but Xing Sixian decided to take charge and change their plans.
• Xing Sixian reflected that Chu’s announcement had revealed a secret long concealed by the empire’s four great powers, leaving the Demon Palace’s response uncertain.

Lin Bai monitored Princess Leping's estate office after He Qiyun visited, suspecting Li Guxian might be connected to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and hiding abducted Holy Sons or Holy Daughters. When servants from the estate office were caught contacting Demon Palace warriors, Prince Liang ordered Li Guxian taken into custody.

• Lin Bai reviewed He Qiyun's file, ordered her watched rather than arrested, and told his men to follow servants leaving the estate office.
• Lin Bai reasoned that Emperor Chu's public announcement about the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace might have prompted He Qiyun to report to Li Guxian, and continued watching the estate office.
• A Blood Dragon Legion commander reported that all fifteen servants had gone to residences hiding Demon Palace warriors, including one in the Chen Family's residence; Zhao Xing Office warriors captured them.
• The commander said nine servants had killed themselves and the others were being interrogated, while Prince Liang ordered Li Guxian taken into custody.

Lin Bai negotiated three hours to speak with Li Guxian before Chu Tinghan’s forces attacked her estate. Li Guxian suspected their plan had been exposed and prepared to kill Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang if needed.

• The Blood Dragon Legion commander relayed Prince Liang’s order to secure Li Guxian, and Lin Bai agreed despite fearing an attack might make the hidden Holy Sons and Holy Daughters fight back.
• Chu Tinghan and Chu Tingxue met Lin Bai, and he explained that he wanted to prevent Li Guxian’s group from acting out of desperation.
• Lin Bai asked for three hours to speak with Li Guxian, and Chu Tinghan agreed to attack the estate when the time ran out.
• Lin Bai arrived alone at Princess Leping’s estate and asked a servant to tell Li Guxian that an old acquaintance from Ke Province had come to visit.
• Li Guxian suspected Lin Bai had come because their plan was exposed, then told those hiding by the lake to prepare to kill Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang.

Lin Bai visited Princess Leping’s residence under the pretext of checking on Li Guxian, while secretly investigating her suspected ties to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace. At Koi Lake, he exposed a powerful formation and confronted Li Guxian about her connection to the Demon Palace.

• Lin Bai met Li Guxian and explained that he had come to investigate the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s remnants in the Imperial Capital.
• Li Guxian denied any connection to the Demon Palace and spoke of her family’s blood feud with it.
• Lin Bai asked Li Guxian to show him around her residence and noticed she avoided the lake at its center.
• Lin Bai found a powerful formation beneath Koi Lake and told Li Guxian he knew she was connected to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace.

Lin Bai confronted Li Guxian about her ties to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, and she revealed how her family history and a stolen list made her its Goddess. She explained her past role in Ke Province and left Lin Bai with the truth that the Demon Palace was divided by internal struggles.

• Lin Bai noticed the lake's unusual defensive formation and challenged Li Guxian about her connection to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace.
• Li Guxian admitted her father was a secretly cultivated prodigy of the Demon Palace and explained that her mother had compiled a list of its agents in Ke Province.
• Li Guxian said her parents died during a struggle over the list, which she kept to negotiate with the Demon Palace and become its Goddess.
• Li Guxian explained that she had opposed the Blood God Sect, fled Ke Province with He Qiyun, and later used the list and her connection to Prince Chen to secure the Demon Palace's support.
• Li Guxian told Lin Bai that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace was divided by rivalries and grievances among its members.

Li Guxian explained the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s three factions and confirmed that she and the Northern Region’s martial artists had abducted the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters. She revealed that Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang were being held beneath the pool, while the rest of the prisoners had been sent to the Soul Refinement Sect or elsewhere.

• Li Guxian told Lin Bai that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had Warmonger, Pacifist, and Non-Interventionist factions, and identified herself as a Warmonger and the Blood God Sect as Pacifists.
• Li Guxian explained that the Non-Interventionists sought the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s lost treasures rather than its restoration.
• Li Guxian confirmed that she and Northern Region martial artists had joined forces to abduct the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters, but refused to explain their purpose.
• Li Guxian said some captives had been sent to the Soul Refinement Sect and others were held beneath the pool, including Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang.
• Li Guxian revealed that the captives were meant to be publicly executed after the sect leaders arrived in the imperial capital, but Lin Bai had discovered the plan ahead of schedule.

Lin Bai deduced that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and the Northern Region were behind the chaos in Chu’s imperial capital, but Li Guxian revealed that the plot had been coordinated by her faction and the capital branch. She and Lin Bai were both incapacitated by Carefree Powder, and Yao Qian took Lin Bai away as the group began to withdraw.

• Li Guxian asked Lin Bai how Chu had uncovered the plan, and he traced the clues to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and the Northern Region.
• Lin Bai explained that the abductions and attacks served no clear purpose for the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, suggesting other forces were involved.
• Lin Baixian revealed that she, Goddess, and the imperial capital branch head had jointly planned the events, and said the Zhao Xing Office had captured the branch head.
• Lin Baixian ordered her people to withdraw, but the figures hiding beneath the lake emerged after she and Lin Bai were affected by Carefree Powder.
• Yao Qian carried the powerless Lin Bai into the water while Lin Baixian remained behind.

Yao Qian took Lin Bai, whom the narration calls Sect Master and Wolf Marquis, to a hidden Underground Palace belonging to the Four Gloom Demon Palace and had Dragon Binding Spikes driven into him. Lin Bai remained conscious despite the Carefree Powder and the spikes, leaving the palace’s captors wary of his strength.

• Yao Qian carried the paralyzed Lin Bai into the lake and opened a concealed door to the Underground Palace.
• Yao Qian brought Lin Bai before Dragon Binding Spike, a steward of the Four Gloom Demon Palace’s main headquarters.
• Dragon Binding Spike explained that the spikes could seal spiritual power, meridians, and the divine soul, while Yao Qian drove nine of them into Lin Bai.
• Lin Bai spoke despite the Carefree Powder and the spikes, startling Dragon Binding Spike and prompting Yao Qian to keep him imprisoned.

Xing Sixian learned that the Princess's Estate was surrounded and sought a way to escape by using Nie Shang, whom she held captive. Nie Shang offered to help her leave if she released Zhang Lun and the Wolf Marquis and took him hostage, but Xing Sixian remained wary of the other prisoners and the encirclement.

• A servant reported that Meng Qinxian and forces from the Zhao Xing Office and Imperial Guards had surrounded the Princess's Estate, so Li Guxian ordered Water Wraith to begin evacuating.
• Xing Sixian learned that Nie Shang had been subdued with Dragon Binding Spikes and went to question him in the dungeon.
• Nie Shang told Xing Sixian to release Zhang Lun and the Wolf Marquis, take him hostage, and use him to leave the estate safely.
• Xing Sixian pointed out that she also held Yi Heze and Lu Qingjun and asked whether Zhao Linbai would let them escape.
• Dao Child Yao Qian agreed to follow Xing Sixian's orders as the time Nie Shang had arranged with Meng Qinxian ran short.

Lin Bai tried to persuade Li Guxian to take him hostage and leave the Imperial Capital, arguing that he was her only chance to survive and that he needed to rescue Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze. Li Guxian recognized his motives but left to consider his proposal, giving herself an hour to decide.

• Li Guxian deduced that Lin Bai had entered the Princess's manor to rescue Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang, and that he also hoped to reach Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze.
• Lin Bai insisted that he was Li Guxian's only path to survival and that he wanted to save her as well as his friends.
• Mu Cang challenged Lin Bai, but Li Guxian ordered him to stand down, and he obeyed despite his anger.
• Li Guxian refused to release Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang, so Lin Bai warned that he would signal Chu Tinghan unless Li Guxian let them go and took him hostage with his cooperation.
• Li Guxian said she would consider Lin Bai's proposal and give him an answer in an hour, then left the dungeon with Yao Qian and Mu Cang.

Lin Bai reassured Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang after they warned him that his Supreme Avatar made him a target, while the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace debated how to respond to its exposed plans. Dongyu used Goddess’s desire to survive to secure a possible escape, leaving the Palace’s next move uncertain.

• Nie Shang and Meng Qinxian warned Lin Bai that his Supreme Avatar and ties to Chu made him vulnerable to rival forces, and Lin Bai said Goddess was not as foolish as he had thought.
• In the Princess's Office study, Li Guxian urged Goddess and Dao Child Yao Qian to execute Meng Qinxian and Mu Cang to plunge the Devil Realm into chaos, but Yao Qian advised caution.
• Goddess weighed the proposals while Li Guxian and Yao Qian debated how to respond to Wolf Marquis’s intervention and the exposure of their plans.
• Dongyu recovered some strength as the Carefree Powder faded, but the Dragon Binding Spike prevented him from regaining control over Lin Bai.
• Dongyu relied on Goddess’s ambition and desire to live, believing she would accept his trade and take the chance to escape.

Lin Bai tested ways to remove the Dragon Binding Spikes while Nie Shang secretly freed Meng Qinxian and Li Gu and planned to stay behind for Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze. The chapter left Lin Bai considering the Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit and Nie Shang preparing to face the danger alone.

• Lin Bai found that the Supreme Avatar and Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit were his only remaining ways to remove the Dragon Binding Spikes.
• Nie Shang used his devouring power to dissolve the Dragon Binding Spikes in Meng Qinxian and Li Gu, then told them to conceal their recovered strength and escape when the chance came.
• Nie Shang urged Meng Qinxian and Li Gu to leave for their sects, but refused to abandon Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze.
• Meng Qinxian and Li Gu promised to keep Nie Shang's actions secret and pretended that the Dragon Binding Spikes still sealed them.
• Mu Cang and Dao Child Yao Qian arrived at the dungeon as Nie Shang continued considering how Lin Baixian might be persuaded to compromise.

Lin Bai and Dao Child Yao Qian arranged a deal with Li Guxian, while Meng Qinxian waited to rescue Nie Shang. Li Guxian chose to let them leave, but Meng Qinxian’s forces attacked the Princess’s manor as the carriages departed.

• Lin Bai refused to leave without Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang until Li Guxian agreed to his deal, and Dao Child Yao Qian warned that they would perish together if the Zhao Xing Office attacked.
• Dao Child Yao Qian brought Nie Shang out of the manor, and Nie Shang quietly spoke to Meng Qinxian before boarding a carriage.
• Li Guxian sent Lin Baixian away with Dao Child Yao Qian and prepared carriages for the others, showing that she had accepted Lin Bai’s deal.
• Meng Qinxian ordered the Blood Chu Tinghan into the manor under a blood barrier to find the captives and kill anyone who resisted.
• Nine carriages left the Princess’s manor without opposition, while Meng Qinxian’s forces followed at a distance.

Blood Luo Daoguo’s forces rescued Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang, then took control of their safety and subdued the Marquis. Prince Hong Estate and the Blood Dragon Legion joined forces to investigate Four Gloom Demon Palace strongholds as Huang Qiong was taken to Zhao Linbai.

• Blood Luo Daoguo’s warriors defeated the Marquis, broke his limbs, sealed his dantian, and took charge of protecting the four Saint Sons.
• Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang recovered their cultivation and resisted Mu Cang, but the Blood Dragon Legion intervened and shielded them.
• Young Lord Long explained Wolf Li Gu’s plan to Chao Yushi, who deduced that Four Gloom Demon Palace strongholds were hidden in the surrounding streets.
• Chao Yushi urged the Blood Dragon Legion to seal off and search the streets, and Young Lord Long agreed to coordinate with Chu Tinghan.
• Huang Qiong was taken to Zhao Linbai while the two forces converged and prepared to investigate the exposed plan.

Li Guxian took Lin Bai out of the imperial capital, promising to lead him to Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze if he helped her shake off the Zhao Xing Office and Chu Tinghan. Chu Tinghan refused Lin Bai’s order to stop following them and continued the pursuit, determined to protect him and capture Li Guxian.

• Li Guxian persuaded Lin Bai to use his authority as Wolf Marquis to get past the city guards and leave the capital with her.
• Chu Tinghan ordered the Zhao Xing Office to track Lin Bai and Li Guxian using every available means.
• Li Guxian said she would take Lin Bai to Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze only if they lost their pursuers, and Lin Bai agreed to tell the scouts to stop following.
• Lin Bai ordered the Zhao Xing Office and Chu Tinghan to abandon the pursuit, but Chu Tinghan declared his orders invalid and continued watching them.
• Chu Tinghan learned that two Holy Sons remained inside the imperial capital, including another friend of Lin Bai.

Lin Bai grew impatient with Li Guxian’s delays and forced her to reveal where Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze were hidden. After breaking the Dragon Binding Spikes and overpowering her, he began searching her memories, but found that key parts had been mysteriously erased.

• Lin Bai suspected Li Guxian had been keeping him occupied while the sect leaders traveled to the imperial capital, and concluded that Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze were likely there.
• Lin Bai demanded that Li Guxian disclose their location, but she refused and reminded him that the Dragon Binding Spikes still sealed his power.
• Lin Bai used the Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit to shatter the Dragon Binding Spikes, seized Li Guxian, and threw her into the mountain when she would not answer.
• Lin Bai began a Soul Search on the badly injured Li Guxian and saw memories of her family and past, including memories of Lin Bai himself.
• Lin Bai found that Li Guxian’s memories of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace headquarters and certain encounters had been erased, and continued searching for Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze.

Lin Bai searched Wang Zuoxian’s memories and uncovered the Four Gloom Demon Palace’s extensive plans for the Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration. In the underground palace, an ancient throne reacted to power from the Imperial Capital of Chu, raising fears that the Devil Lord might still be alive.

• Lin Bai searched Wang Zuoxian’s memories as she screamed, and Nie Shang learned that she had used a blood-sacrifice formation to coordinate the Four Gloom Demon Palace’s plans.
• Nie Shang recognized that the old man who had taken Meng Qinxian and Yi Heze seemed familiar, while Lu Qingjun escaped after Nie Shang persuaded him to return to the Imperial Capital.
• The Four Gloom Demon Palace abandoned its plan to capture Wang Zhengyang and Lu Qingjun after Nie Shang’s intervention disrupted the operation.
• In the underground palace, the ancient throne trembled and its runes shone, drawing black-robed martial artists who recognized the aura as possibly belonging to the Devil Lord.
• A kneeling martial artist received a message from the glowing runes, and the others left to investigate the power that had triggered them.

Old Huo led the Zhao Xing Office into the Third Prince's Estate to search for Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze, but Chu Tinghan and the estate's defenders demanded that he show Lin Bai's jade token and wait for the Third Prince. A powerful martial artist confronted Old Huo, and the standoff ended with Old Huo pressing ahead despite the threat of a clash.

• Chu Tinghan rebuked Old Huo for lacking the authority to inspect the jade token, while Old Huo argued that the Third Prince should be informed before the estate was searched.
• The estate's defenders and Chu Tinghan's forces faced Old Huo, whose demonic sword revealed his strength and drew a warning from a powerful martial artist inside the estate.
• The powerful martial artist asked Old Huo to wait fifteen minutes for the Third Prince, but Old Huo refused and threatened anyone who tried to stop him.
• Old Huo summoned martial artists to reinforce his side and accused the estate of obstructing an investigation into Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze.
• Chu Tinghan and the Marquis called the unauthorized intrusion rebellion, but Old Huo ignored them and flew deeper into the estate.

Lin Bai learned that Chu and other powerful forces were uncovering his identity and that Chu sought to keep him within its territory, partly to protect its future and Chu Tinghan. After the operation, Prince Liang reviewed the capture of Nine Underworlds Demon Palace infiltrators, and Lin Bai confirmed that the four rescued Saint Sons were the only ones in the imperial capital.

• Prince Liang told Lin Bai that investigations into the Barren Ancient Continent would reveal his identity and that the Heaven Swallowing Race had ties to the demon world.
• Lin Bai asked how many people knew his identity, and Prince Liang said the Chu imperial family and the sixteen strongest forces were investigating him.
• Prince Liang urged Lin Bai not to act recklessly with his Supreme Avatar and explained that he wanted Lin Bai to remain in Chu for both political and personal reasons.
• Chu Tinghan reported that Lin Bai had helped rescue the four Saint Sons and capture core Nine Underworlds Demon Palace martial artists.
• Zhu Mo said the captured infiltrators had been sent to the Inferno for interrogation.
• Lin Bai told Prince Liang that, as far as he knew, the four Saint Sons were the only ones in the imperial capital.

Prince Liang ordered a continued investigation into the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and promised Lin Bai a possible prince’s title for his service. Lin Bai left the Tianshui Sect disciples to assist the operation, then visited Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze, learning that Lu Qingjun’s younger sister was also missing.

• Lin Bai urged Prince Liang to keep investigating the Chu imperial clan and its allied families and sects for hidden enemies.
• Prince Liang assigned Chu Tinghan, Chu Zimo, and Chu Tingxue to investigate, ordered stronger security, and authorized killing confirmed or suspected Nine Underworlds Demon Palace agents.
• Prince Liang said he would report Lin Bai’s contributions to the Chu Emperor and suggested Lin Bai might be granted a prince’s title.
• Lin Bai left Bai Yifei, Zhou Xinjin, and the other Tianshui Sect disciples to support Prince Liang’s operation, then went to the Seven Absolutes City residence.
• Lin Bai found Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze protected by the Blood Dragon Legion and learned that Lu Qingjun’s younger sister, Lu Lingjun, was missing along with other Seven Absolutes City people.