Recaps

Lin Bai prepared to use Dugu Ming and Mei Lin as bait to create a distraction at the Xuanjing Clan, then lead the Eastern Domain martial artists to escape. After Dugu Ming and Mei Lin teleported there, Lin Bai’s group followed under false Northern Domain patrol identities, arriving as a bloody confrontation seemed likely.

• A Zhao Xing Office spy reported that Dugu Ming and Mei Lin had reached a teleportation array, and Lin Bai ordered the Eastern Domain Holy Sons and Holy Daughters and the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace martial artists to prepare to act.
• Lin Bai explained that the group needed to escape the Xuanjing Clan, and told everyone to flee or scatter if the plan went wrong; he also agreed to keep Leng Xingguang beside him.
• After learning that Dugu Ming and Mei Lin had teleported, Lin Bai’s group disguised themselves as Northern Domain patrol-team inspectors and headed to the Black Flame Clan’s teleportation array.
• Lin Bai convinced the array guards to send the group to the Xuanjing Clan, where they braced for a possible battle.
• Dugu Ming and Mei Lin, unaware that Zhao Xing Office spies were tracking them, used the provided credentials to teleport from the Black Flame Clan to the Xuanjing Clan.

Mei Lin and Dugu Ming entered the Xuanjing Clan disguised as Northern Region martial artists, but a Soul Refining Sect elder exposed them and defeated their escape attempts. As the elder prepared to capture them, two powerful forces breached the clan’s defensive array and reached for the pair, prompting an angry snort from within the clan.

• Mei Lin and Dugu Ming used Zhao Xing Office credentials to pass inspection at the Black Flame Clan and teleport into the Xuanjing Clan.
• The crowded Xuanjing Clan’s guards checked their credentials and initially allowed them to leave the teleportation plaza.
• Ghost Shadows from a Soul Refining Banner detected their Eastern Region aura, and its elder ordered them to remove their disguises.
• Dugu Ming fled with a talisman while Mei Lin escaped in a flash of light, but the Soul Refining Sect elder and other Northern Region powerhouses intercepted and wounded them, revealing their identities.
• As the elder swept black mist toward the captured Holy Sons, the Xuanjing Clan’s defensive array shook and began to rupture; a shadowy palm reached for Dugu Ming and divine radiance shot toward Mei Lin.
• An unhappy cold snort sounded from within the Xuanjing Clan as the two forces descended.

Yang Sect and Profound Darkness Holy Sect experts tried to rescue Mei Lin and Dugu Ming from the Xuanjing Clan, but the Soul Refinement Sect ancestor overwhelmed them and the confrontation erupted into a larger battle. Meanwhile, Lin Bai and the other Eastern Region Holy Sons and Holy Daughters teleported from the Black Flame Clan toward the chaos, despite warnings of the danger.

• The Soul Refinement Sect ancestor shattered the rescue techniques of the Yang Sect elder and Profound Darkness Holy Sect ancestor, then challenged them to withstand three moves before taking their Holy Sons back.
• The Yang Sect elder and Profound Darkness Holy Sect ancestor attacked together to seize Mei Lin and Dugu Ming, but the Soul Refinement Sect ancestor fought them off with his Soul Refining Banner.
• Bu Junfeng noticed that the other Eastern Region Holy Sons and Holy Daughters, including Lin Bai, were missing from the Xuanjing Clan and wondered what Lin Bai was planning.
• More Eastern Region and Northern Region experts joined the fighting, turning the Xuanjing Clan into a chaotic battlefield.
• At the Black Flame Clan, Lin Bai insisted that the cultivator activate the teleportation array despite warnings that Supreme Dao Fruit Realm experts were fighting at their destination.
• The teleportation array activated and sent Lin Bai and the others to the Xuanjing Clan.

Lin Bai and the Eastern Region Holy Sons and Holy Daughters teleported into the Xuanjing Clan during a Supreme-level battle and tried to escape east. Bu Junfeng discovered them and blocked their way, but Old Wen restrained him and the other two Holy Sons, giving the group a chance to flee.

• Lin Bai and the Eastern Region group arrived in the Xuanjing Clan and received instructions from their allies, including He Gongji, to escape east.
• Lin Bai and the others left the teleportation array and headed toward the eastern defensive formation while the battle drew attention away from them.
• Bu Junfeng spotted their arrival, alerted the Northern Region martial artists, and joined Shen Xinghe and Luan Tang to block their route.
• Lin Bai secretly asked Old Wen and the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace powerhouses to hold off the three Holy Sons while the Eastern Region group escaped.
• Old Wen sealed Bu Junfeng, Shen Xinghe, and Luan Tang, and Lin Bai sent the Eastern Region Holy Sons and Holy Daughters racing toward the clan’s eastern edge.

Lin Bai and the Eastern Domain Holy Sons and Holy Daughters escaped the Xuanjing Clan as Eastern and Northern Domain experts clashed around them. He Gongji brought Lin Bai into the void, where he discovered that more than thirty Supreme Dao Fruit experts and over a hundred other high-level martial artists had gathered.

• Old Wen immobilized Bu Junfeng, Shen Xinghe, Luan Tang, and their allies, giving the Eastern Domain Holy Sons and Holy Daughters a chance to flee.
• Bu Junfeng and Lin Bai clashed briefly, but Lin Bai broke away and raced toward the Xuanjing Clan's exit while hidden experts fought in the void.
• The Eastern Domain Holy Sons and Holy Daughters escaped through the clan's defensive formation as their elders and ancestors intercepted Northern Domain attackers and carried them away.
• He Gongji appeared beside Lin Bai, stopped the pursuing Northern Domain martial artists, and took Lin Bai into the void.
• Lin Bai found Eastern Domain experts gathered there and learned from He Gongji that more than thirty Supreme Dao Fruit experts and over a hundred other high-level martial artists had assembled around the Xuanjing Clan.

Lin Bai and the rescued Eastern Region Holy Sons and Holy Daughters escaped the Northern Region and returned to the Devil Realm Eastern Region. After realizing Mei Lin and Dugu Ming were missing, Lin Bai began to suspect the Northern Region had deliberately allowed their escape, possibly as part of Bu Junfeng's plan.

• He Gongji led Lin Bai through a Space Node into the Devil Realm Eastern Region, where Prince Liang and Chu State soldiers awaited them.
• Eastern Region martial artists emerged from the void, and Lin Bai reunited with Old Wen and confirmed that the rescued Holy Sons and Holy Daughters had returned safely except for Mei Lin and Dugu Ming.
• Mo Nan and the other rescued Holy Sons and Holy Daughters thanked Lin Bai before the sect experts took them to Horizon Pass to rest.
• Prince Liang explained that the Northern Region would likely hold Mei Lin and Dugu Ming, along with any rescuers sent by their sects.
• Lin Bai questioned why the escape from the Northern Region's blockade had been so easy and recalled that Bu Junfeng had seemed unwilling to stop him.
• Lin Bai grew wary and wondered what the Northern Region and Bu Junfeng were plotting.

After returning safely to the Eastern Region, Lin Bai and Prince Liang consulted Li Guxian on how to rescue Mei Lin and Dugu Ming without provoking war. Lin Bai then secured help for Northern Region Zhao Xing Office spies and returned to Eternal Night Pass, where he checked on the people who had come back with him.

• Prince Liang asked Lin Bai and He Gongji what to do about Mei Lin and Dugu Ming, who remained trapped in the Xuanjing Clan while their rescuers were besieged.
• Lin Bai presented the choices of leaving the sects to rescue their own people or sending State of Chu and Nine Underworlds Demon Palace troops against the Northern Region, but both options risked serious consequences.
• Lin Bai and He Gongji contacted Li Guxian, who proposed asking the three ancient factions to mediate and secure Mei Lin and Dugu Ming's release.
• Prince Liang agreed to inform the Sun Sect and Profound Darkness Holy Sect of Li Guxian's plan, while Li Guxian warned that the Eastern-Northern martial competition would soon begin.
• Lin Bai asked Prince Liang to transfer and pardon the Northern Region Zhao Xing Office spies who had helped him, and Prince Liang agreed to arrange it through Chu Zimo.
• Lin Bai and He Gongji returned to Eternal Night Pass, where He Gongji confirmed that the Second God Child, Third God Child, and accompanying personnel had arrived safely.

The First God Child confronted Li Guxian after discovering that many powerful warriors had left Eternal Night Pass, but she refused to reveal the secret operation and mocked his ambitions. The Second God Child and Third God Child returned from the Northern Region, and Lin Bai and He Gongji soon arrived back at the pass.

• The First God Child questioned Li Guxian about the missing high-level warriors, but she withheld the information and told him that secrets brought success.
• The First God Child vowed to punish Li Guxian if he became the Imperial Child, then noticed the Second God Child and Third God Child returning to Eternal Night Pass.
• The First God Child reproached the Second God Child and Third God Child for returning without telling him, and they explained that the Devil Palace had ordered their return without notifying him.
• The Second God Child and Third God Child discussed He Gongji's efforts and hoped he would receive help advancing after the war.
• Lin Bai, He Gongji, Old Wen, and Leng Xingguang arrived at Eternal Night Pass, where the Second God Child and Third God Child greeted Lin Bai as the Imperial Child.

After returning from the Northern Region, Lin Bai credited the Second God Child and Third God Child for their assistance and rested at Eternal Night Pass. He learned that the Northern Region’s ruling powers might start a civil or external war to restore their control.

• Lin Bai praised the Second God Child and Third God Child’s work in the Northern Region, and He Gongji promised to report their achievements.
• Lin Bai returned to his quarters, told Leng Xingguang he could rest at Eternal Night Pass, and accepted his plan to visit Wind and Snow Villa before deciding whether to join the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace.
• Li Guxian came to visit Lin Bai but learned he was resting, then questioned Leng Xingguang’s background after hearing he had returned with Lin Bai.
• Old Wen explained Li Guxian’s rise to Leng Xingguang and encouraged him not to feel alone, but Leng Xingguang decided to visit his master and elders first.
• After sleeping for three days, Lin Bai learned that the Sun Sect and Profound Darkness Holy Sect had secured their people’s release by paying the Northern Region’s steep demands.
• Old Wen warned Lin Bai that the Northern Region’s ruling powers might use civil war or expansion against the Eastern Region to restore order and authority.

After returning from the Northern Region, Lin Bai prepared to meet Li Guxian and discuss the delayed battle between the prodigies. He discovered that the First God Child had struck Dao Child Yu You and sent her to ask Elder He Gongji to enforce the Devil Palace’s laws, while insisting he was testing the laws rather than scheming against the First God Child.

• Lin Bai and Old Wen agreed that the battle between the Eastern Region and the Northern Region could no longer be delayed, and Lin Bai planned to visit Li Guxian and then the other guests at Horizon Pass.
• Lin Bai stopped Dao Child Yu You as she tried to leave and saw a handprint on her cheek.
• The Third God Child revealed that the First God Child had struck Yu You because he was angry about being excluded and had vented his anger on her.
• Lin Bai told Yu You to report the First God Child to Elder He Gongji and demand that the Devil Palace punish him according to its laws.
• The Third God Child suggested Lin Bai was testing Elder He Gongji’s allegiance, but Lin Bai said he only wanted to see whether the Devil Palace’s laws were still strict and that he did not take the First God Child seriously.

Lin Bai tested whether Elder He Gongji would uphold the Demon Palace's laws after the First God Child struck Dao Child Yu You. He Gongji chose to punish the First God Child, but the First God Child's defiant response left him unsure how to proceed.

• Lin Bai discussed with the Second God Child and the Third God Child how He Gongji's response would reveal whether he favored Lin Bai or the First God Child.
• He Gongji weighed the factions supporting Lin Bai and the First God Child, recognizing that his choice could affect his standing and future breakthrough.
• Dao Child Yu You asked He Gongji to uphold justice, reporting that the First God Child had struck her and violated the Demon Palace's laws.
• He Gongji promised to punish the First God Child and summoned him to appear.
• The First God Child arrived, dismissed Yu You, and admitted striking her without apology, leaving He Gongji in a difficult position.

The First God Child challenged Elder He Gongji to punish him, while Lin Bai refused to intervene and insisted He Gongji act impartially. He Gongji ordered one hundred public lashes, and as he whipped the First God Child at Eternal Night Pass, he considered killing him but waited for Lin Bai’s signal, which never came.

• The First God Child provoked Elder He Gongji to decide his punishment and suggested inviting Lin Bai to judge him.
• Lin Bai refused to attend, telling the messenger that He Gongji should handle the matter impartially.
• He Gongji ordered the First God Child seized and sentenced him to one hundred public lashes under the Devil Palace’s iron law.
• He Gongji sealed the First God Child’s cultivation, tied him to a stake at Eternal Night Pass, and began whipping him as onlookers gathered.
• The First God Child threatened He Gongji and blamed Lin Bai, the Second God Child, and the Third God Child while Lin Bai watched without responding.
• He Gongji considered killing the First God Child but continued the whipping when Lin Bai gave no signal.

After Elder He Gongji flogged the First God Child, Shen Yunfan and Duanmu Lin offered their allegiance to Lin Bai, who brought them along to meet his friends near Horizon Pass. The group also suspected Li Guxian had secretly left Eternal Night Pass, and the chapter ended as Lin Bai's friends arrived to meet him.

• After the First God Child was publicly flogged, Shen Yunfan and Duanmu Lin pledged to follow Lin Bai, who invited them to visit his friends at Horizon Pass rather than directly accepting their offer.
• Lin Bai saw a black figure leave Eternal Night Pass near Li Guxian's residence, then learned her guards claimed she was in seclusion; he and the others suspected the figure might have been Li Guxian herself.
• Lin Bai left Eternal Night Pass with Shen Yunfan, Duanmu Lin, Dao Child Yu You, and Old Wen, and asked Old Wen to summon his friends from Horizon Pass to meet him outside the city.
• While waiting on a mountain, Duanmu Lin roasted game and Shen Yunfan brought out wine; Old Wen then returned with Qi Lingyu, Wang Zhengyang, Huang Qingyun, Yi Song, Chen Yule, and Shui Mo Dan.
• Shui Mo Dan enthusiastically called out to Lin Bai as she arrived, and Lin Bai smiled at her cheerful innocence.

Lin Bai reunited with Shui Mo Dan and the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters at the mountaintop, where he realized Huang Qingyun’s old ancestor had gained the upper hand in their shared body. He offered to help separate their souls, but Huang Qingyun said they could only devour one another, leaving Lin Bai worried for his friend and wondering why Ten Thousand Saints Mountain had left Nine Underworlds City untouched.

• Shui Mo Dan left the Danxia Sect’s procession and happily embraced Lin Bai, while he reassured the sect’s wary experts that he meant them no harm.
• Shui Mo Dan praised the Second God Child’s roasted meat, and her compliment drew a rare smile from him that surprised the Third God Child.
• Huang Qingyun arrived with the other Holy Sons and Holy Daughters, and Lin Bai sensed that the old ancestor within her had taken control after gaining a slight upper hand.
• Lin Bai offered to extract Huang Qingyun’s soul and create a separate body, but Huang Qingyun said they shared one soul and body and could only devour one another.
• Wang Zhengyang criticized the Sacred Lotus Palace’s inheritance, and Lin Bai greeted the gathered Holy Sons and Holy Daughters before wondering whether Ten Thousand Saints Mountain had secretly protected Nine Underworlds City.

Wang Zhengyang explained how the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had used the Eastern-Northern Region conflict to strengthen its control over the former territory of the Seven Nights Divine Sect. He argued that Lin Bai’s prestige and ties made him central to the Demon Palace’s strategy, and that Ten Thousand Saints Mountain preferred him as its Imperial Son; the chapter left the Demon Palace’s expansion appearing likely to succeed.

• Qi Lingyu and Wang Zhengyang reacted with surprise when they learned that the Second and Third God Children had become Lin Bai’s followers.
• Wang Zhengyang told Qi Lingyu that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s restored sect gate could no longer be undone, and revealed that news from the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s territory had been deliberately sealed off.
• Wang Zhengyang described how the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had expelled Northern Region forces, weakened Pure Yang Sect and Phoenix Valley, and offered Yi Gu support in exchange for the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s submission.
• Wang Zhengyang explained that Lin Bai’s friendship with Yi Gu and his political standing could help the Demon Palace secure the territory and restrain the Chu Kingdom.
• Wang Zhengyang said the Demon Palace used Lin Bai’s prestige to reassure the martial world and that Ten Thousand Saints Mountain would rather see Lin Bai become Imperial Son than an unknown candidate.

Lin Bai learned that Ten Thousand Saints Mountain wanted to support him as the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s Emperor’s Heir because it could no longer prevent the Palace’s return and hoped to avoid empowering a hostile successor. Wang Zhengyang explained that the other sects were gathering intelligence to determine the Palace’s intentions as war approached.

• Wang Zhengyang told Lin Bai that Ten Thousand Saints Mountain preferred him as Emperor’s Heir over the First God Child and offered to help him in the Eastern Region.
• Lin Bai pieced together how unrest at the borders had diverted the Chu Kingdom, Qi Tian Sect, and Ten Thousand Saints Mountain from aiding the Seven Nights Divine Sect, allowing the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace to secure its former territory.
• Lin Bai asked the gathered Holy Sons and Holy Daughters whether they supported his succession, and Shui Mo Dan voiced her support while the others remained silent.
• Wang Zhengyang warned that the sects represented there had helped destroy the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace ten thousand years earlier and identified Lin Bai, the First God Child, the Second God Child, and the Third God Child as potential successors.
• The Third God Child and Second God Child said they had personally chosen to follow Lin Bai and had given up competing for the succession.
• Wang Zhengyang explained that Ten Thousand Saints Mountain had investigated the Palace’s powerful lineages and that the sects needed to identify friends and enemies as war approached.

Lin Bai reached an initial agreement with Wang Zhengyang for Ten Thousand Saints Mountain to support Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, provided Lin remained its Imperial Son and worked to settle its old grievances. The gathering then turned to Lin Bai’s experiences in the Northern Region, where he described the hardships that fueled its martial artists’ desire for the Eastern Region.

• Lin Bai asked Wang Zhengyang what Ten Thousand Saints Mountain would offer and expect in return for supporting him.
• Wang Zhengyang offered help against the First God Child and promised Ten Thousand Saints Mountain would defend Nine Underworlds Demon Palace from opposition, if Lin Bai remained its Imperial Son.
• Wang Zhengyang asked Lin Bai to quell the palace’s internal factions and let go of its century-old grudges; Lin Bai agreed that the palace would not go to war with Ten Thousand Saints Mountain while he remained Imperial Son.
• Qi Lingyu said he needed to consult Qi Tian Sect’s elders, while Lin Bai and Wang Zhengyang drank to mark their initial agreement.
• Wang Zhengyang asked about Lin Bai’s trip to the Northern Region, and Lin Bai described its harsh conditions and the Northern martial artists’ longing for the Eastern Region.

Lin Bai and Wang Zhengyang discussed the Northern Region’s Calamity Wind and Calamity Snow, the Land Beyond the Heavens, and the possible link between the Immortal World’s disappearance and the war between the Giant God Race and the Heaven Swallowing Race. The chapter ended with the Eastern Region learning that two virtually unknown martial artists were among the Northern Region’s five contestants for the upcoming young-genius competition.

• Wang Zhengyang said the Calamity Wind and Calamity Snow came from the Land Beyond the Heavens, where even Great Mystic Art Users risked becoming lost.
• Lin Bai recalled rumors that the Land Beyond the Heavens held an immortal’s burial ground and speculated that the First World-Shaking War had severed the Ancient Spirit World’s ties with the Immortal World.
• Lin Bai decided that resolving the threat of the Giant God Race required him to become an immortal.
• Wang Zhengyang said the Eastern and Northern Regions’ young-genius competition would begin soon and that the Northern Region had submitted its five contestants.
• Lin Bai recognized Bu Junfeng, Shen Xinghe, and Luan Tang among the contestants, while the other two names belonged to martial artists no one in the Eastern Region could identify.

Lin Bai and the Eastern Region’s prodigies discussed the Northern Region’s competitors and their likely matchups. Lin Bai said he would draw with Bu Junfeng in a restrained contest but win a fight to the death, while the group recognized that the other matches would likely decide the competition.

• Qi Lingyu identified Tang Muzhi of the Heavenly Dao Clan and Gu Yangyun of the Black Water Clan as two mysterious Northern Region competitors, and Lin Bai suspected they were secretly cultivated prodigies.
• Wang Zhengyang said Lin Bai would probably face Bu Junfeng, while Qi Lingyu, Wang Zhengyang, and Huang Qingyun admitted they were not certain they could defeat him.
• Lin Bai recalled helping Bu Junfeng improve his palm technique at Heaven Sword Peak, and Huang Qingyun and Wang Zhengyang noted that Lin Bai’s own swordsmanship had advanced through their exchange.
• Lin Bai said he and Bu Junfeng would likely draw in a restrained match, but declared he would win if they fought to the death.
• Wang Zhengyang reasoned that the contest would probably allow neither a clean draw nor a fight to the death, and said the Eastern Region’s chances would depend on its other matchups.
• The group considered Shen Xinghe, Luan Tang, Tang Muzhi, and Gu Yangyun as their likely opponents, and grew concerned when Shen Xinghe and Luan Tang came up.

Lin Bai briefed the Eastern Region’s prodigies on Shen Xinghe’s void technique and his suspicions that Luan Tang was a replaceable Corpse Puppet, prompting Wang Zhengyang, Huang Qingyun, and Qi Lingyu to volunteer to face the Northern Region’s fighters. At the Northern Region’s meeting, Tang Muzhi demanded to fight Lin Bai, while Gu Yangyun warned that none of them seemed his equal and Bu Junfeng admitted he did not want to face him.

• Lin Bai described Shen Xinghe’s ability to turn his body into nothingness, and Wang Zhengyang identified it as the Void Scripture created by the ancient Void Celestial.
• Wang Zhengyang volunteered to fight Shen Xinghe, and Huang Qingyun volunteered to face Luan Tang after Lin Bai suggested that the Holy Son might be a Corpse Puppet rather than the real person.
• Qi Lingyu accepted that he would face either Tang Muzhi or Gu Yangyun, while the Eastern Region’s fighters recognized that victory depended on their matches.
• At the Northern Region’s meeting, Tang Muzhi demanded to fight Lin Bai and insulted the Soul Refining Sect for failing to stop him.
• Bu Junfeng said Tang Muzhi could fight Lin Bai because he wanted no part in facing him, and Gu Yangyun said none of the Northern Region’s fighters seemed a match for Lin Bai.

The Northern Region and Eastern Region finalized the martial contest lineup, with Lin Bai set to face Bu Junfeng in the fifth and final match. As the contest was scheduled to begin in ten days, Lin Bai also learned that Elder Shi Renshan was heading to Eternal Night Pass and might pose a danger to him.

• Gu Yangyun questioned Bu Junfeng, Shen Xinghe, and Luan Tang about Lin Bai, and they admitted that defeating him would be difficult.
• The Northern Region assigned Bu Junfeng to Lin Bai, Shen Xinghe to Wang Zhengyang, Luan Tang to Huang Qingyun, Gu Yangyun to Qi Lingyu, and Tang Muzhi to Yan Congjiao.
• The Third God Child told Lin Bai that the contest would begin in ten days and that either side would forfeit if its fighters failed to appear.
• Lin Bai learned that the Northern Region had scheduled his match against Bu Junfeng as the fifth and final round, after the other four duels.
• The Third God Child warned Lin Bai that Elder Shi Renshan was traveling to Eternal Night Pass and might act against him over the First God Child's flogging.

Lin Bai recognized that Elder He Gongji had anticipated Shi Renshan’s arrival and was testing his response, so the two finally discussed how to handle the First God Child and his powerful master. Lin Bai proposed damaging their influence before dealing with them, leaving the details of their plan unresolved.

• The Third God Child told Lin Bai that Shi Renshan was heading to Eternal Night Pass with experts from the First Divine Hall, but Lin Bai decided not to prepare because he believed He Gongji already had a plan.
• A messenger summoned Lin Bai to He Gongji’s residence, where the two sat in silence before He Gongji confronted him about Shi Renshan’s arrival.
• Lin Bai accused He Gongji of testing his resolve and acknowledged that the elder had already devised a countermeasure against Shi Renshan.
• He Gongji revealed that he could have killed the First God Child while flogging him, but Lin Bai had not signaled him to do so.
• Lin Bai explained that killing Shi Renshan and the First God Child would provoke a powerful backlash, and proposed that they first break their influence and reputation.

Lin Bai and He Gongji prepared to undermine Shi Renshan and the First God Child while discussing the stakes of the upcoming Eastern and Northern Regions martial competition. Shi Renshan arrived at Eternal Night Pass, where Lin Bai greeted him respectfully before taunting the First God Child in front of his master.

• He Gongji explained that he would blame the First God Child for the recent events and use witnesses to establish his guilt, while warning Lin Bai that Shi Renshan would seize any opportunity to retaliate.
• Lin Bai told He Gongji that his match against Bu Junfeng would either not happen or become a fight to the death, which Lin Bai was certain he would win.
• He Gongji revealed that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and Chu had agreed not to cede the Seven Nights Divine Sect's seventy-two thousand provinces even if the Eastern Region lost.
• Three days before the martial competition, He Gongji, Lin Bai, the First God Child, and other senior figures gathered at Eternal Night Pass to welcome Shi Renshan.
• Shi Renshan arrived through a void vortex with several elders, and the First God Child eagerly greeted his master.
• Lin Bai exchanged courtesies with Shi Renshan, then mocked the First God Child for needing an elder to teach him propriety.

Lin Bai and He Gongji defended the public flogging of the First God Child by citing Lin Bai’s authority, while Shi Renshan failed to turn the dispute against Dao Child Yu You. Shi Renshan then pressured Lin Bai over the coming regional contest, and Lin Bai steered the First God Child into vowing to defeat Tang Muzhi or surrender his title.

• Lin Bai reminded Shi Renshan that the First God Child had slapped Dao Child Yu You, and Yu You realized Shi Renshan was lying to protect him.
• He Gongji argued that Lin Bai’s approval allowed him to punish the First God Child without a Council of Elders resolution, and Lin Bai accepted responsibility when Shi Renshan challenged him.
• Lin Bai warned Shi Renshan not to target Yu You, prompting Shi Renshan to pressure Lin Bai to defeat Bu Junfeng in the Eastern and Northern Regions’ martial contest.
• The First God Child offered to fight Bu Junfeng instead, but Shi Renshan stopped him and insisted Lin Bai remain the opponent.
• Lin Bai praised the First God Child’s confidence against Tang Muzhi, then warned him not to underestimate the Northern Region genius.
• The First God Child vowed to defeat Tang Muzhi or give up his God Child title, and Lin Bai immediately accepted the pledge.

Lin Bai pressured the First God Child into staking his position on the upcoming battle against Tang Muzhi, while learning that powerful outsiders from multiple realms had gathered in the borderlands. He then prepared for his possible duel with Bu Junfeng and weighed the dangers of using the Nine Deaths Demon Sword.

• Lin Bai drew the First God Child into promising to resign if he lost to Tang Muzhi, and Shi Renshan supported the challenge.
• After Shi Renshan and the First God Child left, Lin Bai and He Gongji sensed a hostile gaze from a mysterious figure who vanished nearby.
• He Gongji told Lin Bai that Great Mystic Art Users from across the Devil Realm and other realms had gathered in the borderlands, raising the stakes around the martial contest.
• Lin Bai returned to his quarters to prepare for the contest, reasoning that the outcome could depend on the first four battles and that his potential fight with Bu Junfeng could be deadly.
• Lin Bai examined the sealed Nine Deaths Demon Sword, recognized that it could corrupt his mind, and hoped he would not need to use it.